% IMPORTANT: The following is UTF-8 encoded.  This means that in the presence
% of non-ASCII characters, it will not work with BibTeX 0.99 or older.
% Instead, you should use an up-to-date BibTeX implementation like “bibtex8” or
% “biber”.

@INPROCEEDINGS{AzuaHumara:1034906,
      author       = {Azua Humara, Ana Daniela and Luna Barron, Ana Laura and
                      Mechler, Anna and Eichel, Rüdiger-A.},
      title        = {{U}nderstanding {N}itrate {E}lectrochemical {R}eduction to
                      {A}mmonia by {I}dentifying {C}hanges in p{H}},
      school       = {RWTH Aachen},
      reportid     = {FZJ-2025-00027},
      year         = {2024},
      abstract     = {Electrochemical nitrate reduction into ammonia is an
                      attractive technology that promotes nitrates removal from
                      wastewater while delivering ammonia as a profitable product.
                      The high concentration of nitrates in the wastewater of the
                      agricultural and various industrial sectors is a serious
                      pollution problem with serious consequences for the
                      environment and public health.[1] On the other hand, ammonia
                      is one of the most demanded chemical substances worldwide
                      since it is a raw material for different products, mainly
                      fertilizers, plastics, and fuels [2]. Therefore,
                      understanding the electrochemical conversion of nitrates to
                      ammonia in aqueous media and under ambient conditions is a
                      key element both to address water pollution and to ensure
                      ammonia supply. Electrochemical nitrates reduction to
                      ammonia in aqueous media under ambient conditions has been
                      reported, using noble metal-based electrodes (e.g., Ru, Rh,
                      Pt). [2] It has been shown that nitrates reduction is a
                      complex process due to its polyatomic nature, forming
                      several intermediate compounds before its complete reduction
                      into ammonia. The ammonia selectivity depends on the
                      electrocatalyst, the applied potential, and the electrolyte
                      media. [3] Jaramillo’s group studied the effect of the
                      initial pH electrolyte on the ammonia Faradaic efficiency,
                      concluding ammonia formation is favored at low pH (<1).[1]
                      Clearly, pH plays an essential role in nitrates reduction.
                      However, there is limited knowledge of pH changes through
                      the reaction, since only initial pH is reported, and how and
                      why such changes impact the ammonia selectivity. In this
                      work, the changes in pH during the electrochemical reduction
                      of nitrates to ammonia are evaluated using Ti and Cu-foils.
                      We investigate four different electrolytes ranging from pH 1
                      to pH 10, tracking the changes in pH over the course of a 30
                      min experiment. Our results show that when the initial pH is
                      equal to or above pH 3 the media undergoes alkalinization,
                      reaching pH values close to 12. On the other hand, in acidic
                      conditions the pH only increases slightly. In addition, the
                      highest faradaic efficiency is obtained at more alkaline
                      initial conditions. The intermediate products are also
                      detected and correlated to the pH increase.},
      month         = {Jun},
      date          = {2024-06-09},
      organization  = {37th Topical Meeting of the
                       International Society of
                       Electrochemistry, Stresa (Italy), 9 Jun
                       2024 - 12 Jun 2024},
      subtyp        = {After Call},
      cin          = {IET-1},
      cid          = {I:(DE-Juel1)IET-1-20110218},
      pnm          = {1231 - Electrochemistry for Hydrogen (POF4-123) / HITEC -
                      Helmholtz Interdisciplinary Doctoral Training in Energy and
                      Climate Research (HITEC) (HITEC-20170406) / BMBF 03SF0589B -
                      Verbundvorhaben iNEW: Inkubator Nachhaltige Elektrochemische
                      Wertschöpfungsketten (iNEW) im Rahmen des Gesamtvorhabens
                      Accelerator Nachhaltige Bereitstellung Elektrochemisch
                      Erzeugter Kraft- und Wertstoffe mittels Power-to-X (ANABEL)
                      (03SF0589B)},
      pid          = {G:(DE-HGF)POF4-1231 / G:(DE-Juel1)HITEC-20170406 /
                      G:(BMBF)03SF0589B},
      typ          = {PUB:(DE-HGF)24},
      url          = {https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/1034906},
}