Global Experts Gather in Shanghai to Discuss the Future of Green Ammonia Energy
— The 3rd Symposium on Ammonia Energy held
The goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality have started a profound revolution in the energy field. Carbon-free fuels are gaining increasing attention worldwide. As an important agricultural and chemical raw material, ammonia is carbon-free, offering an effective solution for low-carbon energy systems. To advance research in the field of ammonia energy, the 3rd Symposium on Ammonia Energy (SoAE) was held at the Primus Hotel Shanghai Hongqiao from September 22nd to 26th. This marked the first time that SoAE was hosted in an Asian country. More than 500 researchers from over 20 countries, including representatives from 100 research institutes and companies, attended the symposium to discuss recent advances and future challenges in the international ammonia energy research field.
This symposium is hosted by Chinese Society of Engineering Thermophysics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Foshan Xianhu Laboratory. The Co-Chairs of the International Advisory Committee are Katharina Kohse-Höinghaus (Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bielefeld University) and Qingjie Zhang (Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Foshan Xianhu Laboratory). The Honorary Co-Chairs of the Local Organization Committee are Zhen Huang (Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University) and Yibing Chen (Member of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, Foshan Xianhu Laboratory). The Chair of the Local Organization Committee is Yuyang Li (Shanghai Jiao Tong University).
SoAE is an international platform for presenting and discussing the latest scientific and engineering advancements in the field of ammonia. Its topics cover important research areas such as the production, storage, energy conversion and utilization of ammonia. Moreover, it highlights the potential and applications of ammonia in the global context of a sustainable economy and the “dual carbon” goals. The 1st and 2nd SoAE were hosted by Cardiff University and University of Orléans, respectively. At this SoAE, outstanding researchers and representatives from industrial companies in the field of ammonia energy delivered plenary lectures. The symposium featured a series of activities, including Industry Workshop, Warm-up Seminar for Young Scholars and Students, and Health, Safety, and Security Workshop. The symposium also provided livestreams of some important lectures via Koushare, attracting a total of 100,000 online viewers.
Focusing on the frontiers, seeking new opportunities in ammonia energy development
During the opening ceremony of the symposium hosted by Yuyang Li, Lifeng Xi (the Executive Vice President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University), Qingjie Zhang, Agustin Valera Medina (Chair of the Scientific Committee of the SoAE, Cardiff University), and Katharina Kohse-Höinghaus successively delivered addresses. The program features plenary lectures, keynote lectures, invited lectures, oral presentations, and poster sessions, covering a wide range of recent advances in the field of ammonia energy.
In the plenary lecture session, Prof. Hideo Hosono (Foreign Member of the Royal Society) gave a lecture entitled “Progress in catalysts for green NH3 synthesis: What we learned from the past decade”; Prof. Hideaki Kobayashi (winner of the Bernard Lewis Gold Medal awarded by the Combustion Institute) delivered a lecture entitled “Ammonia direct combustion — General features and applications”; Prof. Ib Chorkendorff (Member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters) gave a lecture entitled “New routes of ammonia synthesis and decomposition”; Prof. Shanwen Tao (Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry) delivered a lecture entitled “Efficient direct ammonia fuel cells for transport applications”; Prof. Junwang Tang (Member of the Academy of Europe) gave a lecture entitled “Renewable energy-driven NH3 synthesis and its decomposition”; Prof. Christine Rousselle (Fellow of the Combustion Institute) delivered a lecture entitled “Net ammonia engine: A utopia or still a challenge?”. The Plenary Lectures covered leading-edge work in the field of ammonia synthesis, combustion, and fuel cells.
This symposium also had 7 parallel sessions, covering 19 keynote lectures, 19 invited lectures, 226 oral presentations, and 61 poster presentations. During the global energy transition, ammonia has demonstrated its potential as a zero-carbon fuel, attracting attention from many researchers. This transitional chemical raw material is showing enormous vitality in the energy field. Recent years have seen the vigorous development of the research in the field of ammonia energy. Researchers have published many ammonia-related papers on top journals such as Science and Nature.
Moving forward together, paving new pathways for ammonia energy research and production
The Industry Workshop on Sept. 23rd adopts a novel Academy PLUS Industry (A+I) style. Experts and scholars from more than 30 companies and research institutes, both domestic and international, attended this workshop. Over 70% of the presentations were delivered collaboratively by researchers form the academic and industrial. During the opening ceremony of the workshop, Prof. Zhen Huang and Prof. Agustin Valera Medina delivered addresses successively.
In the first A+I plenary lecture, Yibing Cheng and Chuyun Zhang (Assistant to the President of Monalisa Group) introduced innovations in ammonia energy for the ceramic industry. It is worth noting that the first carbon-zero technology demonstration production line in the ceramic industry fueled with ammonia-hydrogen began operation on Sept. 26th, showcasing the advancements of China in ammonia-hydrogen energy technology. In the second A+I plenary lecture, Ning Yan (National University of Singapore) and Sundar Chidambaram (Vice President of Strategy and Business Operations for the Asia Pacific region at Siemens Energy) introduced the vital role of catalyst developments and reactor innovation in hydrogen production through ammonia decomposition.
The Round-Table Discussion invited 6 researchers from academic and industrial to engage in an in-depth discussion about the current situation and prospects of international ammonia energy industry. This industry workshop also featured 4 parallel sessions, covering 7 keynote lectures and 17 invited lectures. During this workshop, over 300 participants discussed about ammonia synthesis, ammonia internal combustion engines, ammonia gas turbines and ammonia thermal applications. This A+I Industry Workshop established stronger connections between fundamental research and industrial application, bringing new vitality to the development of ammonia energy industry and receiving widely acclaim.
Enlightening the future, unleashing the new potential of young scholars
The Warm-up Seminar for Young Scholars and Students held on Sept. 23rd was an important part of the symposium and attracted many young scholars. As the chair of the seminar, Katharina Kohse-Höinghaus shared stories from her memoir Burning for Science — A Woman in a Technical Field, which will be published in March 2025. She reviewed her 50 years of engagement in science and her experience in research, discussed career choices and growing pathways for young scholars, emphasized the growing importance of women in the scientific field, shared possible ways to address profound scientific problems. Her speech offered valuable guidance to the young scholars and encouraged them to keep forging ahead in their academic journey.
Moreover, Dr. Wei Li (Secretary of the symposium, Shanghai Jiao Tong University) provided an introduction to the event and reminded attendees to pay close attention to key lectures and discussion sessions. This seminar served as an opening platform for young scholars to communicate with senior researchers and helped them to lay a foundation for future academic innovation and research collaboration.
Being down to earth, fostering a new ecosystem for ammonia energy application
The Health, Safety and Security Workshop was held on Sept. 26th. Katharina Kohse-Höinghaus, Agustin Valera Medina, Yusuf Bicer (Hamad Bin Khalifa University), and Huahua Xiao (University of Science and Technology of China) had an in-depth discussion on the health, safety, and environmental issues related to ammonia energy utilization. They provided insights into the source of potential dangers associated with ammonia energy and offered suggestions on possible coping strategies, policies, and standards. They called for collaborative efforts in the fields of environmental protection, safety supervision, and health supervision, as well as the establishment of a new ecosystem for ammonia energy application. In this workshop, over 100 researchers discussed together the challenges of ammonia energy utilization and their possible solutions.
The symposium came to a close on the afternoon of Sept. 26th. Prof. Yuyang Li presented a report the organization work of this symposium. Prof. Agustin Valera Medina delivered the concluding remarks, expressing high appreciation for the quality and effectiveness of the event. He also issued certificates to the 9 winners of the Best Abstract Award and announced that the 4th SoAE would be held in Minneapolis, USA, in September 2025. Prof. William Northrop (University of Minnesota), chair of the next SoAE, outlined the plans for hosting the upcoming symposium.
The 3rd SoAE injected new momentum into both fundamental research and industrial application in the field of ammonia energy, while also promoting the development of green energy. Attendees gained fresh insights through academic discussions and experienced the distinctive charm of Shanghai through diverse cultural activities. Looking ahead, SoAE will continue to serve as a platform for discussion and collaboration, advance research and application in ammonia energy, and contribute to the global goal of sustainable development.
Editor on Duty: Yan Cheng