Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have discovered a way to harness natural hydrogen production underground to synthesise ammonia, potentially eliminating the need for large-scale chemical plants.
The team says the Earth’s naturally occurring heat and pressure could act as a “geochemical reactor” to produce large volumes of the hydrogen compound.
The team found water – which carries a source of nitrogen and particles of metal catalyst – injected underground into areas of iron-rich subsurface rock reacted to produce hydrogen.
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