BRIN develops environmentally friendly nitrogen fertiliser production method
Jakarta (ANTARA) - A lecturer and researcher from the Indonesian Nuclear Technology Polytechnic (Poltek Nuklir) of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Deni Swantomo, has developed an alternative and environmentally friendly approach to creating nitrogen fertiliser.
In a statement in Jakarta on Friday, Deni said that he and his team utilised Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma technology to produce ammonia directly from water and nitrogen gas.
He explained that global ammonia production still largely relies on the Haber-Bosch process, which requires high temperatures and pressures, thus consuming significant energy and contributing to carbon emissions.
Deni outlined that nitrogen gas is flowed and energised with electricity to form plasma that generates reactive nitrogen species. This plasma then interacts with the water surface, breaking down water molecules into hydrogen and hydroxyl radicals. Subsequently, nitrogen and hydrogen atoms react to form ammonia.
The research also evaluated various operational parameters, such as nitrogen flow rate, electrical power, electrode distance, type of water, and acidity level (pH).
Optimal results were obtained with a nitrogen flow rate of 1.4 litres per minute, 75 watts of power, 1 centimetre electrode distance, using deionised water with a pH of around 5, and without the addition of ultraviolet (UV) light. Under these conditions, the ammonia concentration reached 19.7 parts per million (ppm) in a 30-minute reaction time.
Deni stated that the research results show that using deionised water produces higher ammonia yields compared to tap water. Minerals in tap water are known to trigger side reactions that inhibit ammonia formation. Meanwhile, adding UV light actually reduces yields because it triggers the decomposition of formed ammonia.
“Using water with high purity levels provides more optimal results. Conversely, exposure to UV light tends to lower ammonia concentration by triggering re-decomposition processes,” he said.
Overall, this research demonstrates that a simple DBD plasma system can serve as an alternative for ammonia production without catalysts, without complex pretreatment, and without additional hydrogen gas.
Nevertheless, Deni emphasised that the current production scale is still limited to laboratory levels and cannot yet match industrial capacity.
In the future, this technology is expected to be further developed as a cleaner and more efficient ammonia production solution, while supporting sustainable agriculture and global food security.
“This approach opens opportunities for developing more sustainable and energy-efficient fertiliser production technology. The system is relatively simple, does not require expensive catalysts, and can operate under normal conditions,” said Deni Swantomo.