Professor Aravind and Dr. Mokhov partner in NWO Perspectief consortium: research into ammonia as a fuel

Professor PV Aravind  and  Dr. Tolja Mokhov  of the Energy and Sustainability Research Institute Groningen (ESRIG) are a partner in a consortium that has received a Perspectief grant worth EUR 3.2 million. The grant is for the 'AmmoniaDrive' project and is partially financed by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and partially by industrial and public partners. Within the consortium, research is conducted on ammonia as a fuel for heavy transport such as maritime shipping. TU Delft is coordinator.

Aravind and Mokhov will have two shared PhDs with the colleagues of TU Delft and TU Eindhoven. There is funding for converting the combustion laser lab to a combustion/electrochemical systems laser lab.

AmmoniaDrive

As part of our efforts to combat climate change, we rapidly need alternatives to fossil fuels such as diesel and natural gas to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide, among other things. Ammonia is an interesting candidate as fuel for heavy transport like sea vessels and large lorries. The gas, which is known for its characteristic smell, has a relatively high energy density. That means that you can store a lot of energy in a far smaller volume than in the case of green hydrogen. Therefore, the AmmoniaDrive project focuses on how you can use ammonia as an energy-efficient, clean, affordable and, especially, safe fuel to increase the sustainability of heavy transport, which is now mainly based on diesel and fuel oil.

Perspectief

Perspectief challenges researchers to form consortia with industry and societal organizations. In this way, they work together on technological innovations with societal impact and the creation of economic opportunities for the Netherlands.