Sustainable method for production of fertiliser wins Royal Society of Chemistry’s prestigious Horizon Prize
A team from Monash University, Australia has discovered a new sustainable process for production of fertiliser.
A team from Australia has been named the winner of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s (RSC) prestigious Environment, Sustainability and Energy Horizon Prize: John Jeyes Prize, an award celebrating ground-breaking developments which push the boundaries of science.
Based at Monash University, the Monash Ammonia team won the accolade for a project which discovered a process by which ammonia can be produced sustainably at near ambient pressures, using just renewable energy, nitrogen from the air, and room temperature water. The new process could enable the production of more sustainable fertilisers, which use ammonia as the base.
The group, which is now working with the spin-out company, Jupiter Ionics, to scale up the process, join a prestigious list of past winners in the RSC’s prize portfolio, 60 of whom have gone on to win Nobel Prizes for their work, including 2022 laureate Carolyn Bertozzi and 2019 laureate, John B Goodenough.
The Monash Ammonia team also receive a trophy and a professionally produced video to celebrate the work.
After receiving the prize, Associate Professor Alexandr N. Simonov, ARC Future Fellow, School of Chemistry, of Monash University and the Monash Ammonia team, said: “The success of our work would never be possible without a concerted effort from a diverse and harmonious team of highly talented scientists motivated by achieving one globally important goal.”
The Monash Ammonia’s work has tackled the geo-political events impacting food production and high dependence on nitrogenous fertilisers, by facilitating a decentralised approach to fertiliser production, capable of using renewable energy at times when it is available in abundance and otherwise may be wasted. The work is both working towards a shift in the way food is produced – not only decarbonising processes but also democratising them.
Dr Helen Pain, Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry, said: “The Horizon Prizes recognise brilliant teams and collaborations who are opening new directions and possibilities in their field, by combining their diversity of thought, experience and skills, to deliver scientific developments for the benefit of all of us.
“The work of the Monash Ammonia team is a fantastic example of why we celebrate great science; not only because of how they have expanded our understanding of the world around us, but also because of the incredible contribution they make to society as a whole. We are very proud to recognise their work.”
The Royal Society of Chemistry’s prizes have recognised excellence in the chemical sciences for more than 150 years. In 2019, the organisation announced the biggest overhaul of this portfolio in its history, designed to better reflect modern scientific work and culture.
The Horizon Prizes celebrate the most exciting, contemporary chemical science at the cutting edge of research and innovation.
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