ChemElectroChem· 2026Q2· Review
Photoelectrochemical Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia: Materials, Methods, and Metrics
- 1citations
- Q2SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Photoelectrochemical reduction of nitrate offers a modular approach to simultaneously remove wastewater pollutants and produce ammonia, a key chemical feedstock.
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Key points
- Photoelectrochemical nitrate reduction offers a greener route to ammonia synthesis by utilizing light energy.
- The process can simultaneously remove nitrate, a common wastewater pollutant, and produce valuable ammonia.
- The review critically examines the thermodynamic framework, reaction pathways, and analytical methodologies for this process.
- Emerging materials and device architectures for nitrate reduction are summarized, with recommendations for experimental standardization.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Ammonia is a crucial chemical feedstock, and its production is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Electrochemical approaches offer greener routes to ammonia synthesis, but direct nitrogen fixation remains highly challenging. An alternative strategy is the reduction of nitrate, a pollutant commonly found in wastewater, into ammonia and related products. When coupled with lightabsorbing materials, this process can be driven photoelectrochemically, enabling modular systems that simultaneously recover waste nitrogen and generate valuable chemicals. In this review, we critically assess the thermodynamic framework underpinning nitrate reduction, clarify reported redox potentials and reaction pathways, examine analytical methodologies for nitrogen product quantification, and summarise the emerging materials and device architectures for (photo)electrocatalytic nitrate reduction. Finally, we provide recommendations to improve experimental standardisation and accelerate progress in the field.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. ChemElectroChem, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Catalysis
CatalysisChemical Engineering