FERTILIZER H2
FERTILIZER H2Our NiCo Electrode for Green Fertilizer
Fertilizer production uses hydrogen via ammonia synthesis as the feedstock to urea and downstream products. Our bifunctional NiCo electrode supplies that hydrogen at 91.4% energy efficiency at 0.5 A/cm2 in an AEM cell with a commercial Zirfon separator.
Polarization (RT vs 60 °C)
TESTBEDHydrogen feedstock for Haber-Bosch
Fertilizer plants need steady hydrogen supply. Bifunctional NiCo electrode and commercial Zirfon separator: 0.5 A/cm2 at 1.62 V at 60 deg C (91.4%).
Scales for industrial volume
Ni foam from 100 to 1000 cm2. Same electroless deposition process across the size range.
1000-hour stability
21 uV/hr voltage drift at 0.5 A/cm2 / 40 deg C with bifunctional NiCo on both sides and commercial Zirfon.
Bifunctional
Same coated electrode HER and OER. 80 mV / 260 mV overpotential at 100 mA/cm2, no IR correction.
Fertilizer's hydrogen demand
Ammonia is the largest single use of industrial hydrogen, and the majority of ammonia goes into fertilizer (urea, ammonium nitrate, DAP, MAP). Replacing grey hydrogen with green hydrogen is the principal lever for decarbonizing the fertilizer value chain.
Our bifunctional NiCo electrode on Ni foam (100 to 1000 cm2), electroless-deposited, supplies the green-hydrogen side. The same coated electrode operates as both HER cathode and OER anode at 80 mV and 260 mV overpotential at 100 mA/cm2 in 30 wt% KOH (no IR correction).
0.5 A/cm2 @ 60 deg C
1.0 A/cm2 @ 60 deg C
Cell-level performance
In a 5 cm2 AEM cell with bifunctional NiCo electrode on both sides and a commercial Zirfon separator (500 um), 0.5 A/cm2 at 1.62 V at 60 deg C (91.4% efficiency). 2.05 V at 1.0 A/cm2 at RT and 1.79 V at 60 deg C.
Stability for fertilizer-plant uptime
Fertilizer plants run continuously and target multi-year service intervals. The 1000-hour run on bifunctional NiCo electrode and commercial Zirfon separator at 0.5 A/cm2 / 40 deg C showed 21 uV/hr voltage drift.
Local manufacturing context
India and similarly fertilizer-intensive markets see strong policy support for domestic green hydrogen capacity feeding the fertilizer sector. Our electrode is produced in Bengaluru and supplied across the 100 to 1000 cm2 size range.
PV-derived current profile
9 DAYSWind-derived current profile
100 HRExplore more
Frequently asked questions
Why use a bifunctional NiCo electrode for fertilizer and urea production?
Our bifunctional NiCo electrode operates as both HER cathode and OER anode at 80 mV and 260 mV overpotential at 100 mA/cm² in 30 wt% KOH (no IR correction). For fertilizer and urea production, using a single electrode SKU on both sides simplifies stack BOM and qualification.
What cell-level performance is published?
In a 5 cm² AEM cell with bifunctional NiCo electrode on both sides and a commercial Zirfon separator (500 µm) at zero-gap, the cell logs 0.5 A/cm² at 1.81 V at room temperature (82% efficiency) and 1.62 V at 60 °C (91.4%). At 1.0 A/cm²: 2.05 V at RT and 1.79 V at 60 °C.
What is the stability baseline?
Continuous 1000-hour chronopotentiometry at 0.5 A/cm² and 40 °C in 30 wt% KOH (bifunctional NiCo electrode on both sides, commercial Zirfon separator) showed voltage drift of 21 µV/hr. Before/after linear-sweep polarization curves differ by 30 mV at the operating point.
Is the electrode validated for renewable-coupled operation?
Yes. PV-irradiance-derived current schedules applied for 9 continuous days (peaks ~570 mA/cm²) and wind-variation-derived schedules for 100 hours (0 to 0.78 A/cm²) on the same cell. ΔV at 0.5 A/cm² before and after the 100-hour wind run: 20 mV.
What substrate sizes ship?
The bifunctional NiCo electrode is produced on Ni foam in the 100 to 1000 cm² size range. Bench-scale 5 cm² coupons matching the published test cell are also available so customers can reproduce numbers on their own rig before scaling up.
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