Synthesis of ammonia directly from wet air using Sm0.6Ba0.4Fe0.8Cu0.2O3-δ as the catalyst

Ammonia was directly synthesised from wet air at 400 degrees C at atmospheric pressure. A new perovskite Sm(0.6)Ba(0.4)Fe(0.8)Cu(0.2)O(3-delta)d was used as the electrocatalyst for electrochemical synthesis of ammonia. Ammonia formation rates of 9.19 x 10(-7) mol s(-1) m(-2) and 1.53 x 10(-6) mol s(-1) m(-2) were obtained at 400 degrees C when wet air and wet N-2 were introduced into a simple single chamber reactor, respectively. The perovskite catalyst is low cost compared to the previously reported Ru/MgO and Pt/C catalysts. This experiment indicates that ammonia can be directly synthesised from wet air, a very promising simple technology for sustainable synthesis of ammonia in the future.