Advancements in the electrocatalytic nitrogen oxides conversion into amino acids

α-Amino acids are crucial constituents of life and play an indispensable role in the fields of biological peptides and small molecule drugs. With the fast development of regenerative energy and interdiscipline, electrocatalytic NOx reduction for amino acid synthesis represents a promising strategy. Specially, it not only provides a new insight for effectively treating nitrogen-containing waste pollutants generated by human activities, but also offers a green synthesis of unnatural amino acid, which is difficult obtained by general methods. However, achieving accurate conversion of nitrogen oxides in industrial wastewater into high-value amino acids through electrocatalysis remains a significant challenge. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the historical progression in NOx electrocatalytic conversion for amino acid synthesis, while also presenting an overview of the pertinent reaction mechanism within this system, offering a unique perspective on the conversion of nitrogen oxides into amino acids using renewable clean energy from the aspects of structural differences among nitrogen oxides, carbon source structure, catalyst influence, mass transfer, and electrocatalytic system.