Innovate and React

Why Reversing the Haber-Bosch Process Requires a New Catalyst

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Contributors:
  • Prof. Malte Behrens
    • Dr. Kevin Hares
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        In this episode of Innovate and React, I met with Malte Behrens, a professor of inorganic solid-state chemistry at the University of Kiel, to discuss ammonia as a vital carrier for the hydrogen economy. We explore the challenges of transporting pure hydrogen and how converting it into ammonia offers a more practical, carbon-free solution due to its ease of liquefaction and higher volumetric energy density. Malte shares his journey from solid-state chemistry to heterogeneous catalysis. The conversation dives deep into the necessity of discovering effective and scalable catalysts to decompose, or “crack” ammonia back into hydrogen gas for energy use and nitrogen.
        The discussion highlights the limitations of using traditional iron catalysts, as well as the economic barriers of using highly active but expensive ruthenium. To solve this, Malte’s research focuses on alloying iron with cobalt to prevent bulk nitridation, effectively finding the optimal balance of binding energy on the Sabatier volcano curve. The episode concludes with a look at the future of green ammonia, emphasizing the need for renewable energy-driven electrolysis to power a sustainable global energy trade.

        • 00:00 – Introduction and Journey into Catalysis
        • 11:13 – Ammonia as a Hydrogen Carrier
        • 18:32 – Catalyst Challenges in Ammonia Decomposition
        • 28:49 – Optimizing with Iron-Cobalt Alloy Catalysts
        • 36:34 – Co-Precipitation Synthesis and Green Ammonia’s Future

          • More to read on the topic including the discussed publications:

          • M. Behrens, “Coprecipitation: An excellent tool for the synthesis of supported metal catalysts – From the understanding of the well known recipes to new materials” Catalysis Today 2015, 246, 46–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cattod.2014.07.050
          • S. Chen, J. Jelic, D. Rein, S. Najafishirtari, F.-P. Schmidt, F. Girgsdies, L. Kang, A. Wandzilak, A. Rabe, D. E. Doronkin, J. Wang, K. Friedel Ortega, S. DeBeer, J.-D. Grunwaldt, R. Schlögl, T. Lunkenbein, F. Studt, M. Behrens, “Highly loaded bimetallic iron-cobalt catalysts for hydrogen release from ammonia” Nat Commun 2024, 15, 871. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-44661-6
          • S. Perego, M. Purcel, Y. Baum, S. Chen, A. S. Müller, M. Parrinello, M. Behrens, M. Muhler, L. Bonati, “No Time for Nitrides: How Cobalt Alloying Promotes Iron Catalysts for Ammonia Decomposition” ACS Catal. 2025, 15, 16690–16702. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.5c04795
          • B. Friedrich, D. Hoffmann, J. James, “One Hundred Years of the Fritz Haber Institute” Angewandte Chemie 2011, 123, 10198–10225. https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.201104792
          • T. Kandemir, M. E. Schuster, A. Senyshyn, M. Behrens, R. Schlögl, “The Haber–Bosch Process Revisited: On the Real Structure and Stability of ‘Ammonia Iron’ under Working Conditions” Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2013, 52, 12723–12726. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201305812
          • W. Shin, H. Lai, G. Ibrahim, G. Zang, “Toward a sustainable energy future using ammonia as an energy carrier: global supply chain cost and greenhouse gas emissions” Energy Environ. Sci. 2026, 19, 162–188. https://doi.org/10.1039/D5EE05571G

            • More about Maltes group:

            • Homepage: https://www.ac.uni-kiel.de/de/behrens
            • Mastodon-Profile: https://fediscience.org/@SolidStateChemCatal_Kiel

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              Innovate and ReactBy Kevin Hares