Cardiff University Press launches the Journal of Ammonia Energy

“Open For Climate Justice” is the theme of International Open Access Week 2022https://www.openaccessweek.org/. Guest blogger Prof Agustin Valera Medina, Director of Cardiff University’s Net Zero Innovation Institute, describes research into a promising sustainable energy source – the subject of a new open access journal from CardiffUP.

Energy supply is primarily delivered through fossil fuel consumption (up 81%, in 2020), with many concerns related to atmospheric pollutant greenhouse gases such as CO2. European regulations aim at decarbonizing the transportation and power sectors, involving civil, naval and aviation systems, along with agriculture and process industries to achieve a drastic reduction in our carbon footprint up to 50% by 2030, finally aiming at net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Replacement of fossil fuel is key to achieve this aim.

Research groups and industrial consortia are currently considering alternatives, with molecules such as hydrogen and ammonia as potential “champions” for a net zero carbon economy. Ammonia has been identified as a carbon-free sustainable fuel due to its high hydrogen content. It can be obtained from either fossil fuels or renewable sources  such as wind, biomass, photovoltaics, and marine.

The International Energy Agency has recognised ammonia’s role as a potential contributor to global decarbonisation. Most developments to date have focused on improving small- to medium-scale engines without effectively addressing the issue of nitrogen oxide emissions, or plant integration for higher efficiencies with lower costs. New techniques to use green ammonia now need to be developed, to accelerate the adoption of this chemical and establish a hydrogen/ammonia economy.

Cardiff University is leading European ammonia-to-power research, with high-impact international papers, industrial projects and programme grants on the advancement of ammonia combustion. Cardiff University Press has launched the first journal to bring together all aspects of producing, storing, distributing and using ammonia as an energy source. The diamond open access Journal of Ammonia Energy (JAE) provides a forum for novel ideas, state-of-the-art research and unique innovation regarding ammonia energy storage and fuelling. The journal is open for online submissions until early January 2023 and its first issue will be published in the spring.