A research group led by Professor Tatsumi Ishihara, Project Assistant Professor Kosem Nuttavut, and Project Assistant Professor Minoru Osaki of the International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Research (Mitsui Chemicals Carbon-Neutral Research Center) at Kyushu University has made it possible to synthesize ammonia and hydrogen from nitrogen and water at room temperature and pressure by replacing some metabolic systems of conventional cyanobacterial biological functions using photocatalysis and by inhibiting the metabolism of the ammonia produced.

・Ammonia is expected to be used in the synthesis of fertilizers and as a transport medium for green hydrogen, but it is synthesized under harsh reaction conditions during the synthesis of ammonia, which involves the generation of a large amount of CO₂. On the other hand, biocatalysts can synthesize it under mild conditions, but the production rate is slow.

・In this research, part of the biocatalytic function was improved by combining photocatalysis and an electron transfer system, and ammonia and hydrogen were successfully synthesized from nitrogen and water at room temperature and pressure by photobiocatalysis.

・The results of this project will contribute to the spread of renewable energy and the realization of a carbon-neutral energy society, as well as to the reduction of fertilizer prices, which are indispensable for food production, thereby contributing to the realization of a sustainable society.

The full text of the press release is available from the Kyushu University website.