Green Ammonia For A Carbon-Free Society

TRANSITIONING our energy economy away from fossil fuel dependence towards one based on renewable and alternative forms of energy requires novel solutions for energy storage, in which the role of hydrogen has promising potential. The intermittency and seasonal variation of solar and wind power leads to a mismatch between energy supply and demand, which will intensify as we decrease our dependence on traditional gas and coal-powered generators. This challenge has driven extensive research into battery, capacitor and chemical energy storage as buffer systems to balance the variation of renewable energy supply on the grid.

A significant obstacle to the wider implementation of hydrogen in energy trade is its costly and energy-intensive storage coupled with safety concerns associated with its high flammability. In this talk, Laura will focus on the chemical storage of hydrogen in the form of ammonia to alleviate hydrogen’s storage and safety issues. Ammonia is explored as a complementary future energy vector with applications in specific cases.

Laura Torrente's work involves the development of sustainable chemical processes combining catalysis development and process design. Her group is particularly focused on the use of carbon-free ammonia as an energy vector to replace fossil fuels. She is a member of the UK Catalysis Hub and her research is being supported by the UK Research Council, European Commission and industry; having been recently awarded one of the most prestigious European Fellowships, an ERC Consolidator grant. She recently co-authored a policy brief document commissioned by the Royal Society entitled "Ammonia: zero-carbon fertiliser, fuel and energy store" (royalsociety.org/green-ammonia).

Refreshments will be available from 30 minutes before the advertised start time.

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