The University of Newcastle Upon Tyne

University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, C/o School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials

The University of Newcastle

Iti, Inc.

Galip Akay

David Robert Burke

Teresa Manguangua Ndlovu

Omer Faruk Calkan

Zainura Zainon Noor

Hasni Hasan

Victoria Jane Price

Sandra Downes

John c/o British Nuclear Fuels Plc Vickers

Burak Calkan

Rozita Mohamed

An ammonia production process is disclosed. The process uses gasification of biomass waste and the like to produce syngas which, using an integrated system including using nitrogen enriched air and a porous coated catalyst, produces ammonia in a plasma reactor. The ammonia is finally recovered using sulphonated PolyHIPE Polymer which can be used as a fertilizer after neutralization.

Ammonia production by integrated intensified processes

A plant growth support medium is described to enhance soil characteristics and provide where required, improved water, or nutrient contents. La addition the medium can be inoculated with microorganisms to aid soil characteristics and provide interactions within micron-scale environment between plant roots, water, nutrients and where applicable, bacteria and root exudates. This micro-environment provides direct delivery of active ingredients to the plant roots. The medium comprises a polymeric material having a primary pore size of greater than 30 micron. The walls of the pores are elastic, enabling the pore to swell in size to retain water, solutes or other biologically useful components and allow root penetration through them. Sulphonation of the walls renders the walls more hydrophilic so attracting water into the pores and also increasing the wall elasticity. Capillaries can be provided to interconnect pores and allow root penetration into the medium. The pore walls can be granular in character to allow water, nutrient and where applicable, bacterial metabolites and messenger molecules passage between adjacent pores and plant roots.

Synthetic symbiotic system as soil additives to deliver active ingredients through plant roots for enhanced plant and crop yield

A process for preparing functionalised microporous polymers (which are also known as micro-cellular polymers or polyHIPE polymers (PHPs)) using intensified internal heating (for example by microwave irradiation).

Process for preparing a functionalised polyHIPE polymer

Growing community of inventors

Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Galip Akay