Bioelectroammonia · Bioelectroreduction of nitrogen to ammonia: the incorporation of nitrogenase within enzymatic biological fuel cells for simultaneous production of electrical energy and ammonia.

Enzymatic biological fuel cells (EBFCs) utilise enzymes as biological catalysts to produce electrical energy from chemical energy, usually being fuelled by simple molecules such as glucose or ethanol, in the presence of O2. This technology provides an alternative to the use of expensive metal catalysts (such as platinum) and offers the ability for electrical energy to be produced under much milder conditions, such as near-neutral pH and room temperature. The cathodes of EBFCs usually employ O2 as the oxidant and final electron acceptor; this proposal seeks to utilise N2 in its place. Not only does the use of N2 as the oxidant circumvent issues relating to dissolved O2 concentrations and solubility (limited to less than 1 mM), but it also presents the possibility to produce industrially important NH3 (using a novel technology) whilst simultaneously producing electrical energy.