A new catalyst could make ammonia — the backbone of fertiliser — without the usual furnace heat

Chemists at the Institute of Science Tokyo have built a catalyst from a barium-based antiperovskite material that drives ammonia synthesis at much lower temperatures than today's energy-hungry process. Published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, the work uses molecular nitrogen anions to get the reaction going gently, with no precious metals. Ammonia underpins fertiliser for much of the world's food, so a cooler recipe could cut both costs and emissions.

SDG 9 · Industry, innovation and infrastructure — Mechanism: tech innovation