Reports from the Frontier: Electrifying Chemical Transformations and Separations to Valorize Wastewater Nitrogen

Ammonia is an essential compound to modern society, underpinning fertilizer production and chemical manufacturing. Global ammonia demand currently exceeds 150 million tons a year projected increase over 2% annually. Over 96% of generated through the Haber-Bosch (HB) process, in which steam-reformed hydrogen reacts with nitrogen under reaction conditions that consume 1–2% global energy contribute 1.2–1.4% anthropogenic CO2 emissions every year. In environmental context, form reactive nitrogen. Large amounts nitrogen, such as HB ammonia, accumulate biosphere because 80% wastewater globally discharged without treatment. The resulting skew cycle leads imbalanced ecosystems threatens water quality. Conventional treatment removes by converting it N2 (biological nitrification–denitrification); at facilities, then cycled back produce ammonia. Directly valorizing waste streams would shortcut use intermediate remediation production, allowing savings energy, emissions, costs. Indeed, treating resource recover rather than simply pollutant remove aligns US National Academy Engineering’s call manage cycle, challenge central manufacturing ecosystem protection.