Issue 07 | Dec 2025
Forging New Frontiers
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Making ammonia burn cleanly at industrial heat
A single-atom platinum catalyst lights ammonia at 200°C and keeps it burning steadily at 1,100°C with low NOx , generating high-grade, carbon-free heat for steel, cement and chemicals.
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mmonia is a tempting fuel for the world’s hottest jobs. It can be made from air, water and renewable electricity, stored as a liquid and shipped using know-how industry already has.
However, the snag is that it is stubborn to ignite, burns sluggishly and tends to spew nitrogen oxides (NOx), when pushed to high temperatures. That mix has kept Graphic images in this newsletter were generated using AI and intended only as a visualisation of general concepts or ideas related to the research.