From Nitrate to Ammonia: Mechanistic Insights and Catalyst Design
In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of recent advances in electrocatalytic nitrate reduction (NO₃RR) for sustainable ammonia production. Our work addresses the limitations of the traditional Haber–Bosch process by exploring ambient-condition electrochemical conversion of nitrate into ammonia, highlighting mechanistic insights, catalyst engineering strategies, and practical applications.
Key Insights
- Why It Matters: Nitrate pollution disrupts ecosystems and human health. Electrochemical conversion of nitrate to ammonia offers a sustainable alternative to the energy-intensive Haber–Bosch process.
- Sustainable Pathway: NO₃RR offers a green route for ammonia synthesis, mitigating nitrate pollution and reducing carbon emissions.
- Mechanistic Understanding: Eight-electron NO₃RR pathway, competitive HER, and intermediates such as NO₂⁻, NO, NHₓ.
- Catalyst Design Strategies: Metal doping (Cu, Co, Fe, Ni, La, Ce), non-metal doping (B, P, S), single/dual-atom catalysts, heterointerfaces, high-entropy alloys.
- Performance Benchmarks: Faradaic efficiency up to 100%, NH₃ yield rates exceeding 290 mg h⁻¹ cm⁻², MEA-based systems maintain a stability of up to 2100 h with 80% Faradic efficiency.
- Future Outlook: Low-cost and durable catalysts for real wastewater treatment, standardized protocols for NH3 measurement, system-level engineering for industrial deployment.
Significance
This review provides a roadmap for advancing green ammonia production through electrocatalysis. By integrating mechanistic insights with material innovations, we outline strategies for designing efficient catalysts and systems that support global carbon neutrality goals.
Authors and Contact
Authors: Joyjit Kundu, Toshali Bhoyar, Jeonghyeon Kim, Jinwon Choi, Dohee Kim
Corresponding Authors:
- Taehyun Kwon – thyunkwon@inu.ac.kr
- Jin Young Kim – jinykim@kist.re.kr
- Kwangyeol Lee – kylee1@korea.ac.kr
- Sang-Il Choi – sichoi@knu.ac.kr
Affiliations: Kyungpook National University, Korea University, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Incheon National University
Follow the Topic
-
Catal
Catal is an open access journal covering full spectrum of catalysis critical advances. From biocatalysts to heterogeneous catalysts, it integrates fundamental and applied sciences. Catal offers a primary platform for researchers and practitioners in the field.
Related Collections
With Collections, you can get published faster and increase your visibility.
National Catalysis Conference 2025
The 22nd National Catalysis Conference, held in December 2025 in Xiamen, China, stands as the largest national academic event in the field of catalysis, bringing together leading scientists from academia and industry to discuss frontier research and emerging technologies across catalytic science.
In collaboration with several internationally recognized researchers from Xiamen University - the main organizer of the conference - Catal will publish a Special Issue featuring selected contributions from the meeting. This joint effort ensures high academic standards and showcases the scientific breadth and excellence presented at the conference.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
• Catalytic materials
• Thermocatalysis
• Electrocatalysis
• Biomass and CO₂ conversion
• Industrial catalysis
• Theoretical and computational catalysis
Publishing Model: Open Access
Deadline: Dec 31, 2026
Porous Materials for Sustainable Green Catalysis
The advancement of our collective understanding in the field of porous materials for sustainable green catalysis is crucial as we face urgent environmental challenges and the need for sustainable energy solutions. The integration of porous materials into catalytic processes has opened new avenues for improving efficiency, selectivity and stability while minimizing waste. Significant advances have been made, including the development of zeolites, mesoporous materials, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs), which have demonstrated remarkable catalytic performance in various reactions.
Future research holds immense potential, with speculations ranging from the design of novel porous materials with tailored properties to their application in industrial catalysis, biocatalysis, H2 production and carbon capture technologies. By continuing this research, we can drive progress toward achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in clean energy (SDG 7) and climate action (SDG 13), ultimately fostering a sustainable future for our planet.
We invite researchers to contribute to this special Collection by submitting research articles, brief communications, perspectives, reviews, and analyses.
Topics of interest include but are not limited to:
- Synthesis of porous materials
- Catalytic performance evaluation
- Green synthesis methods
- Application in environmental remediation
- CO2 conversion technologies
- Biocatalysis in porous matrices
- Design of multifunctional porous catalysts
- Mechanistic studies of catalysis
Publishing Model: Open Access
Deadline: Dec 31, 2026
