Issue 11, 2024

Electrochemical urea production using carbon dioxide and nitrate: state of the art and perspectives

Abstract

Complete decarbonization of hard-to-abate industrial sectors is critical to reach the carbon neutrality goal set for 2050. The production of nitrogen-containing fertilizers (N-fertilizers) is responsible for 2.1% of the overall global carbon dioxide emissions. Urea is the most common N-fertilizer, and it is currently produced through the Bosch–Meiser process starting from ammonia (NH3) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Electrochemical production of urea can reduce drastically the emission of greenhouse gases and the energy required for the process. Promising results were recently reported using nitrate (NO3−) and CO2 as reagents with increasing production rate and faradaic efficiency. In this mini-review, we summarize the most recent studies, including reaction mechanisms, electrocatalysts, and detection methods, highlighting the challenges in the field. A roadmap for future developments is envisioned with the scope of reaching industrial requirements.

Graphical abstract: Electrochemical urea production using carbon dioxide and nitrate: state of the art and perspectives

Article information

Article type
Minireview
Submitted
04 Feb 2024
Accepted
19 Apr 2024
First published
24 Apr 2024

Energy Environ. Sci., 2024,17, 3739-3752

Electrochemical urea production using carbon dioxide and nitrate: state of the art and perspectives

M. Muhyuddin, G. Zuccante, P. Mustarelli, J. Filippi, A. Lavacchi, L. Elbaz, Y. Chen, P. Atanassov and C. Santoro, Energy Environ. Sci., 2024, 17, 3739 DOI: 10.1039/D4EE00561A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements