Clean Technologies Webinar | Redefining Ammonia Synthesis
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Clean Technologies Webinar
Redefining Ammonia Synthesis
It is well known that ammonia production is highly energy-intensive, accounting for ca. 2% of global energy demand. Grey ammonia uses natural gas as a feedstock, where hydrogen is conventionally generated by primary reforming of methane followed by secondary reforming, water gas shift, removal of carbon dioxide, methanation and synthesis. Direct emissions make up ca. 450 Mt of CO2, which is close to the net greenhouse gas emissions of countries such as Australia.
Today, two speakers will address various aspects of ammonia synthesis. Prof. Amal will discuss an unconventional way of decentralized ammonia synthesis through oxidation of nitrogen to NOX using plasma with subsequent electrocatalytic reduction. Dr. Biasi will cover the potential impact of renewable energy utilization in ammonia production and the chemical industry in general, in relation to the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources and fluctuations in power supply.
Date: 13 May 2026
Time: 9:00 am CEST | 10:00 am EEST | 3:00 pm CST Asia
Webinar ID: 885 7669 2775
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com
Meet Our Speakers
School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW (The University of New South Wales), Sydney, Australia;
Professor Rose Amal is a Scientia Professor in the School of Chemical Engineering at UNSW Sydney. She completed her Bachelor of Chemical Engineering and PhD at UNSW. She is Co-Director of the ARC Training Centre for the Global Hydrogen Economy and Deputy Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Carbon Science and Innovation. She is Co-Editor-in-Chief of Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy. Her research focuses on the design of catalytic materials and interfaces for photocatalytic, electrocatalytic, and photoelectrocatalytic processes, targeting sustainable energy and chemical conversions.
CASALE SA, Lugano, Switzerland;
Dr. Pierdomenico Biasi is an industrial chemist with a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Padova and Abo Akademi. He is the head of the Basic Research Department at Casale SA, where he leads catalyst and process innovation for ammonia, methanol, nitric acid and DeNOx/DeN2O and electrification of processes. He has driven the development of the award-winning AmoMax®-Casale catalyst in collaboration with Clariant. His career spans academia and industry, including postdoctoral research in Finland (Abo Akademi) and R&D roles in Italy and Switzerland. He has authored over 40 scientific publications, holds more than 10 patents, and actively contributes to advisory boards and editorial panels in catalysis. Passionate about science, teaching, and sustainability, he also lectures on industrial catalysis at the University of Valladolid, EPFL, ETHZ and University of Padova.
The conventional ammonia synthesis based on the classical Haber-Bosch process is very energy intensive contributing also substantially to global carbon dioxide emissions. There are many attempts globally to transform the classical technology to methods which will be essentially carbon-free. Two approaches have been addressed during the webinar. The first, discussed by Prof. Amal, is based on transforming nitrogen to NOx using plasma with a subsequent electrochemical process powered by renewable energy. Dr. Biasi from Casale presented an integrated technology for green ammonia production, utilizing hydrogen from renewable-powered water electrolysis and air-separated nitrogen.
The webinar was hosted via Zoom and required registration to attend. The full recording can be found below. In order to learn about future webinars, you can sign up to our newsletter by clicking “Subscribe” at the top of the page.