Designing Flow Electrolysers for Lithium-Mediated Ammonia Synthesis 

The growing global demand for sustainable ammonia production calls for novel technologies beyond the energy-intensive Haber–Bosch process. Electrochemical nitrogen reduction (ENRR) has emerged as a promising alternative, offering the potential for decentralized, zero-emission NH₃ synthesis. However, ENRR remains hindered by poor selectivity, low yields, and complex verification challenges.

In this work, we explore lithium-mediated nitrogen reduction (LNRR) in a flow electrolyzer cell using gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) with carbon-based reaction layers. We highlight strategies to enhance reaction durability and performance through electrode architecture optimization, Li deposition-dissolution balance, and material selection. Furthermore, we demonstrate the importance of rigorous testing protocols to address false positives, including ammonia crossover, volatilization, and adsorption.

Our findings provide insights into enabling scalable, efficient LNRR systems by advancing both electrochemical cell design and operational understanding – moving one step closer to practical, sustainable ammonia production.

About the presenter:

Dr Wei Bi is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Queensland in Prof. Tom Rufford’s group. He received his PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering from the University of British Columbia, Canada, where he focused on gas-diffusion electrodes and system optimization for electrochemical nitrogen reduction in aqueous and nonaqueous conditions. He is working in the field of electrochemical CO₂ conversion with a focus on the design and integration of electrode components in membrane electrode assembly and flow cell configurations to enable diagnostic understanding, continuous operation, and system scale-up.

• Email: r.bi@uq.edu.au
• Website: https://chemeng.uq.edu.au/profile/8180/ray-bi
• LinkedIn: https://in.linkedin.com/in/weiraybi
• Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=rJSEicIAAAAJ&hl=en

Perspectives on the Scale-up Application of Electrochemical CO₂ Reduction 

Electrochemical CO₂ reduction (ECO2R) has become a prominent research area in the past decade, and significant progress has been made on catalyst, electrolysis cell, and mechanistic understanding of the reaction. Next steps towards industrial application of ECO2R require testing under conditions more closely resembling those in practical settings. This talk aims to highlight potential pitfalls when extracting/drawing conclusions from literature, particularly in understanding the reported Faradaic efficiency and durability data, and in considering the transferability to an industrially relevant scale.

About the presenter:

Dr Wayne Wu is a postdoctoral research fellow in Prof. Jie Zhang’s group at Monash University. He completed his PhD in 2021 at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. His research experience includes hydrogen fuel cells and CO2 electrolyzers, with special focus on catalyst and electrode design.

• Email: wayne.wu@monash.edu
• Website: https://research.monash.edu/en/persons/wayne-wu
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hsiwen-wu-5bbbb6255
• Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com.tw/citations?user=0i1JTMEAAAAJ&hl=en

Enquiries

For more information about the presentation, please contact the GETCO2 EMCR Committee, chaired by Dr Basiram Brahma Narzary,  getco2@uq.edu.au