Abstract
Ammonia (NH3) combustion is gaining increasing attention as a zero-carbon fuel due to its advantages in production, storage, and transportation. However, several challenges—such as its low flammability and the risk of nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions—must be addressed before NH3 can be widely implemented in energy systems. To overcome the NOX emission challenge of NH3 combustion, this study focuses on the development and evaluation of a NOX capture and utilization system. As a case study of NOX utilization, potassium nitrate synthesis via alkaline absorption using potassium hydroxide was selected. A simulation-based analysis was conducted for an NH3-fired combined-cycle power plant integrated with the proposed system. The system's value was assessed based on the combined outputs of electricity and the chemical product. The simulation results demonstrated that utilizing NOX at an equivalence ratio (ER) of 0.5 can increase total profit by 53 % compared to low-NOX combustion at an ER of 1.1. These findings highlight the high feasibility of the proposed system as a chemical recycling approach and underscore its significant potential for future development.
