Bioelectroammonia · Bioelectroreduction of nitrogen to ammonia: the incorporation of nitrogenase within enzymatic biological fuel cells for simultaneous production of electrical energy and ammonia.

Bioelectroreduction of nitrogen to ammonia: the incorporation of nitrogenase within enzymatic biological fuel cells for simultaneous production of electrical energy and ammonia.

The overall objective of this project was to further develop and enhance the researcher's knowledge in and understanding of biochemistry, synthetic chemistry, the electrochemistry of enzymes and proteins, and alternative fuel cell technologies. In order to realize these objectives, the research project (Bioelectroammonia) was carefully designed to enable the researcher to undertake two periods of postdoctoral training within two complementary research groups located on two different continents. A 2-year "outgoing phase" was planned to be performed within Shelley Minteer's research group at the University of Utah, followed by a 1-year "incoming phase" planned to be performed within Donal Leech's research group at the National University of Ireland Galway. It was also anticipated that the researcher would develop his career within the scientific community through a combination of the publication of scientific reports and the attendance of international conferences, while doing so was also anticipated to develop a network of contacts for the researcher's future career path. During the incoming phase of the MSCA, the researcher transferred the knowledge and skills necessary to perform electrochemistry under strict anoxic or controlled hypoxic conditions. This included assembling and configuring an anoxic glovebox in addition to training a graduate student (under Donal Leech's supervision) on its operation. From a scientific perspective, the objective of this project was to develop a novel technology for the production of ammonia from nitrogen gas, providing an alternative technology to the Haber Bosch process. It was expected that the researcher would develop practical skills pertaining to the growth of microbes, the purification of enzymes, and the interfacing of enzymes with electrode surfaces. The importance of the proposed scientific project surrounds the economic impact of producing ammonia and the expenses by which it is produced. Currently, between 1-2% of global energy is consumed to produce ~500 million metric tons of ammonia per year, where high pressures and temperatures are required to produce ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen gas. In doing so, around 3% of global carbon dioxide emissions are attributed to the Haber Bosch process. Thus, a novel technology that could offer an alternative approach to produce ammonia from nitrogen gas has the potential to be economically important on a global scale.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union