(570f) Novel Microwave Assisted Ammonia Synthesis By Methane and Nitrogen Under Atmospheric Pressure

Microwave irradiation has been studied for a number of science fields such as chemistry and biology. Direct ammonia synthesis by using methane and nitrogen as feed is a novel process. However, activating the methane and nitrogen molecules is a big challenge. In this study, the methane-nitrogen ammonia synthesis was carried out under atmospheric pressure at a temperature of 600 ^oC. In addition, microwave irradiation was applied to this catalytic reaction system and more than 5000 ppm of ammonia was detected in outlet with co-production of hydrogen. The results show that the microwave irradiation not only is able to heat the catalyst effectively but also can activate the methane and nitrogen molecules. Also, microwave irradiation is an effective mean to generate plasma and it is observed that the existence of plasma enhances the yield of ammonia as well as the methane conversion. Thus, this study shows the potential of direct catalytic ammonia synthesis by methane and nitrogen under microwave irradiation.