n a world of unsustainable growth and increasingly catastrophic climate events, the quest for sustainability is open. Electrochemical ammonia synthesis (EAS) represents an eco-friendly means for green ammonia production. This technology mainly requires electricity, which can be harvested from renewable sources, as its energy input, and can be employed in a decentralized fashion, cutting down transport emissions and complexity. Green ammonia could help humanity as a hydrogen carrier, energy storage and sustainable fertilizer. However, sustainable alternatives are still far from achieving the production rates of the current adopted technology, namely the Haber-Bosch process. The present experimental-based investigation explores the feasibility of implementing a new membrane-less porous walls approach to electrochemical ammonia synthesis. This research mainly revolves around two experimental phases: the first considering a single compartment (SC) cell electrochemical set-up, and the second a membrane-less porous walls (PW) cell set-up. The former was used to gain knowledge regarding membrane-less cell behaviour, which then was applied to the latter, whose aim was to achieve ammonia synthesis. It was demonstrated that this approach can achieve high current densities (707.4 mA cm-2) and high ammonia production rate (1727.9 μmol cm-2 h-1) at -3.1V (cell voltage), through catalytic nitrate (𝑁𝑂3−) reduction, on nickel phosphide sheet cathode, in an aqueous sodium hydroxide electrolyte solution. On the contrary, it shows low faradaic efficiency, only 43%. Even if the results were partially validated by literature and contamination tests, isotope labelling experiments need to be conducted for more reliable estimates. These findings add another promising perspective to the field of electrochemical ammonia synthesis. / I en värld av ohållbar tillväxt och alltmer katastrofala klimathändelser är strävan efter hållbarhet öppen. Elektrokemisk ammoniaksyntes (EAS) är en miljövänlig metod för grön ammoniakproduktion. Denna teknik kräver främst el, som kan förses från förnybara källor, för energitillförsel och kan användas på ett decentraliserat sätt, vilket minskar transportutsläppen och komplexiteten. Grön ammoniak kan hjälpa mänskligheten som vätgasbärare, energilagring och hållbart gödningsmedel. Hållbara alternativ är dock fortfarande långt ifrån att uppnå produktionsnivån för nuvarande teknik, nämligen Haber-Bosch-processen. Detta experimentella arbete undersöker möjligheten att implementera en ny strategi för elektrokemisk ammoniaksyntes genom membranfri porösväggar. Denna forskning handlar huvudsakligen om två experimentella faser: den första handlar om enkelfack (SC) cellelektrokemisk uppsättning, och den andra en membranfri porösväggar (PW) celluppsättning. Den förstnämnda användes för att få kunskap om membranfritt cellbeteende, som sedan applicerades på det senare, vars mål var att uppnå ammoniaksyntes. Det har visats att den just nämnda tekniken kan uppnå högströmtätheter (707.4 mA cm-2) och hög ammoniakproduktionshastighet (1727.9 μmol cm-2 h-1) vid -3.1V (cellspänning), genom katalytiskt nitrat (𝑁𝑂3−) reduktion, på nickelfosfidarkatod i en vattenhaltig natriumhydroxidelektrolytlösning. Å andra sidan visar resultaten en låg faradaisk effektivitet, bara 43%. Även om resultaten delvis validerades genom litteratur- och kontamineringstester, måste isotopmärkningsexperiment genomföras för mer pålitliga uppskattningar. Dessa fynd lägger till ytterligare ett lovande perspektiv på området elektrokemisk ammoniaksyntes.

This report travels through multiple disciplines to seek innovative and sustainable energy solutions for wastewater treatment plants. The first subject is a report about increased global temperatures and an over-exploitation of natural resources that threatens ecosystems worldwide. The situation is urgent where the current trend is a 2°C increase of global temperatures already in 2040. Furthermore, the energy-land nexus becomes increasingly apparent where the world is going from a dependence on easily accessible fossil resources to renewables limited by land allocation. A direction of the required transition is suggested where all actors of the society must contribute to quickly construct a new carbon-neutral resource and energy system. Wastewater treatment is as required today as it is in the future, but it may move towards a more emphasized role where resource management and energy recovery will be increasingly important. This report is a master’s thesis in energy engineering with an ambition to provide some clues, with a focus on energy, to how wastewater treatment plants can be successfully integrated within the future society. A background check is conducted in the cross section between science, society, politics and wastewater treatment. Above this, a layer of technological insights is applied, from where accessible energy pathways can be identified and evaluated. A not so distant step for wastewater treatment plants would be to absorb surplus renewable electricity and store it in chemical storage mediums, since biogas is already commonly produced and many times also refined to vehicle fuel. Such extra steps could be excellent ways of improving the integration of wastewater treatment plants into the society. New and innovative electric grid-connected energy storage technologies are required when large synchronous electric generators are being replaced by ‘smaller’ wind turbines and solar cells which are intermittent (variable) by nature. A transition of the society requires energy storages, balancing of electric grids, waste-resource utilization, energy efficiency measures etcetera… This interdisciplinary approach aims to identify relevant energy technologies for wastewater treatment plants that could represent decisive steps towards sustainability.