IDF No 2692 Probe Sonication Converting Nitrates To Ammonia In Water – Industrial Consultancy & Sponsored Research (IC&SR) , IIT Madras

Category- Green Technology

Industry Classification:

Green Ammonia Production, Fertilizer manufacturing, Chemical manufacturing and Renewable Energy

Applications:

Green Ammonia production for use in fertilizer industry, refrigeration and use as hydrogen carrier for renewable energy.

Market report:

The global green ammonia market was valued at USD 0.29 Billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to USD 6.16 Billion by 2030 with a CAGR of 66%

Ammonia is an essential raw material in various industries such as fertilizers, textiles, and chemicals. There is hence a demand for energy-efficient and eco-friendly production of Ammonia.
Conventional catalyst based Haber–Bosch process is energy-intensive as it relies on high temperature and pressure resulting in CO₂ emissions.
Further, alternative methods such as photocatalysis and biochemical synthesis have slow reaction rates, reproducibility issues, and expensive catalyst limitations.
There is a need for a method to produce ammonia in ambient conditions without catalysts while enhancing yield and sustainability compared to existing technologies.

The technology employs probe sonication in an aqueous nitrate solution to produce ammonia (NH3) under ambient conditions, eliminating the need for high-pressure, high-temperature catalysts used in the Haber–Bosch process.
It generates hydrogen radicals via sonochemistry, which reduce nitrates (NO₃⁻) to ammonia, and is compatible with various nitrate salts such as NaNO₃, KNO₃, or LiNO₃.
Process parameters include sonication power settings between 62.5 W and 250 W, temperature range from 25 °C to 80 °C (preferably ~35 °C), and sonication durations from 30 minutes to 24 hours.
The invention supports both open and closed system configurations; closed systems minimize ammonia loss, and yield improvements are achieved using additives like boron nanosheets, B₂O₃, or GaO(OH).
Ammonia detection uses an indophenol-blue method for precise quantification, while the process scales via intermittent sonication cycles, ensuring energy-efficient, sustainable production with broad industrial applications..

The invented ammonia production method operates at ambient conditions (25–80 °C, ~1 atm), eliminating the high-pressure, high-temperature requirements of the conventional Haber–Bosch process and similar methods.
Avoids the need for expensive and environmentally problematic catalysts, using probe sonication to generate hydrogen radicals that efficiently reduce nitrates to ammonia..
The use of probe sonication accelerates reaction rates compared to alternative methods (photocatalysis, biochemical synthesis) which suffer from slow kinetics or reproducibility issues.
Incorporation of additives (e.g., boron nanosheets, B₂O₃, GaO(OH)) apart from improving ammonia yield through adsorption and retention also minimizes losses while enhancing overall process efficiency.
The energy-efficient, environmentally friendly approach reduces CO₂ emissions and is adaptable to both open and closed system setups, offering scalability and commercial viability for diverse industrial applications.

Prof. Kothandaraman Ramanujan

Department of Chemistry

TRL 4

Technology validated in Lab

Technology Transfer