Ammonia (NH
3) production is widely recognized for its role in fertilizer manufacturing and emerging use as a hydrogen carrier. Nearly half of the world would go hungry without inorganic fertilizer. Conventionally, NH
3 is produced via the Haber-Bosch (H-B) process at 400 – 450 °C and 25 – 30 bar. Due to the low conversion associated with this process, the NH
3 produced has to be separated from the unreacted N
2 and H
2 via condensation and refrigeration, with a negative impact on the carbon footprint. Switching the traditional NH
3 separation technology to alternative methods like membrane separation can help mitigate CO2 emissions and reduce energy consumption. Among classes of ammonia-permeate membranes, inorganic membranes offer superior thermal stability and promising separation performances at high temperatures. This study systematically explores the performance of ZnCl
2 immobilized molten salt (IMS) membranes for separating NH
3 from a mixture of N
2 and H
2, both experimentally and theoretically. ZnCl
2 immobilized molten salt (IMS) membranes showed selectivity of NH
3 over N
2 and H
2 up to 10
7 and moderate permeance of ~200 GPU at 300 °C and atmospheric pressure. The theoretical component examined the transport mechanisms of NH
3 across the ZnCl
2 IMS membranes and employed a mathematical model to deduce the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters related to the transport. This study revealed the potential application of ZnCl
2 IMS membranes for treating downstream ammonia in the industrial Haber Bosch process or in other processes where NH
3 concentration is low, such as anaerobic digesters.
Research Interests:
Gas separation using membranes
Membrane reactor technology
PFAS separation using membrane
Computational studies (DFT, Molecular dynamics simulation)
F-elements (lanthanides and actinides) separation
