It is also seen as a promising way to store and transport energy, as it is safer and easier to handle ammonia than hydrogen gas. “You need a big factory to make the ammonia using processes that require extreme temperatures and pressures.”Storing and transporting hydrogen as ammonia Ammonia can be used as a carrier for hydrogen, meaning it can store and transport the chemical before it is converted into hydrogen for energy. This new method could create ammonia in far smaller facilities located closer to where it is needed — potentially even on-site. “Simulations are essential to fully understanding the mechanism that the chemical species undergoes to produce ammonia from water and nitrogen,” Martirez said. These features work together: The hydrogen atoms convert the nitrogen into ammonia, and the vacant spots attract more nitrogen from the air to keep the process going.