Direct Oxidative Nitrogen Fixation from Air and H2O by a Water Falling Film Dielectric Barrier Discharge Reactor at Ambient Pressure and Temperature

Abstract Current industrial production of HNO 3 relies on the Ostwald process via catalytic oxidation of NH 3 , which is responsible for the vast bulk of CO 2 emission. An attractive alternative route to HNO 3 is direct N 2 oxidation to aqueous HNO 3 , which avoids the NH 3 intermediate. Herein, we for the first time report a non‐thermal plasma‐assisted nitrogen fixation process characteristic of a large gas‐liquid contact based on the water falling film dielectric barrier discharge, wherein HNO 3 is produced directly from ambient air and H 2 O at atmospheric pressure and room temperature without the presence of any catalytic material. By optimizing the plasma reaction conditions, a relatively high synthesis rate and low energy consumption was achieved at the same time with good product selectivity.