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Fortescue & Deutsche Bahn to develop ammonia-powered trains in Germany
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Deutsche Bahn and Fortescue Future Industries will collaborate to modify existing locomotive diesel engines to run on hydrogen & ammonia fuel. The pair will utilise Ammonigy’s ammonia cracking technology in their design, with a prototype, bench-top engine currently undergoing testing in Germany. This week FFI also signed an agreement to develop a new energy import terminal in Wilhelmshaven.

Ammonia-powered cargo shipping in Finland
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Green NortH2 Energy, Meriaura and Wärtsilä will develop a cargo vessel capable of running on ammonia fuel. Propelled by Wärtsilä multi-fuel engines, the vessel will be owned and operated by Meriaura, with Green NortH2 Energy to supply renewable ammonia fuel from its to-be-built production plant in Naantali, southwest Finland.

A road ahead via lithium-mediated electrochemical nitrogen reduction?
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Realisation of electrochemical nitrogen reduction to ammonia has proven to be a herculean scientific challenge. Recently, a focus on Lithium-mediated synthesis has delivered promising results. Last year a team from Monash University in Australia unveiled their phosphonium “proton shuttle” method, and this year have reported nearly 100% Faradaic efficiency for the reaction (with promising reaction rates). Late last year, a team from the Technical University of Demark (DTU) reported that addition of small amounts of oxygen gas drastically increased Faradaic efficiencies and production rates. The results push electrochemical synthesis R&D ever-closer to elusive benchmarks set for commercial realisation.