Questions about ammonia extraction and the Sorption Booster

Why is extraction the bottleneck in green ammonia, not synthesis?

Because synthesis has been solved and extraction has not. Renewable electricity, electrolysis and Haber-Bosch synthesis all work at modular scale today. Separating the ammonia back out of the synthesis loop is the step that still relies on hundred-year-old physics, and at small scale it is where the economics break.

In a decentralised plant, the extraction step alone can absorb up to a quarter of total capital cost and more than 20% of operating cost. That is usually enough to stop a project reaching a final investment decision.

Why does conventional ammonia extraction fail at small scale?

Conventional extraction liquefies ammonia by compressing the synthesis gas to very high pressure and chilling it to cryogenic temperature. Both steps are capital-intensive, and both were designed for plants producing thousands of tonnes per day where that cost spreads across enormous output.

At sub-100 TPD scale the partial pressure of ammonia in the loop is lower, so more gas must be processed for the same output and refrigeration duty rises sharply. Single-pass separation stays under 70%, which forces a large recycle loop and compounds the cost.

What is a low-pressure ammonia synthesis loop?

A synthesis loop that operates well below the 150-250 bar of conventional Haber-Bosch plants. Lower pressure means cheaper vessels, simpler safety engineering and better compatibility with variable renewable power - which is why most modular green ammonia designs target it.

The trade-off is that conventional condensation-based separation stops working well at those pressures. The Sorption Booster is built for exactly this condition.

What does the Sorption Booster do?

The Sorption Booster separates ammonia from the synthesis gas and delivers it as liquid ammonia. It replaces the conventional compress-and-chill separation stage, operating below 50 bar with no cryogenic refrigeration. It is a modular unit that sits downstream of the synthesis reactor.

How does sorption-based separation work?

A solid sorbent selectively captures ammonia molecules directly from the gas stream. Once loaded, a mild thermal swing releases the ammonia in concentrated form, which is then condensed to liquid without cryogenic compression. Nitrogen and hydrogen return to the synthesis loop with negligible loss.

Because capture depends on the sorbent's chemical affinity for ammonia rather than on pressure and temperature alone, the process works at conditions where condensation-based methods become impractical.

What is the sorbent made of?

The sorbent is a proprietary hybrid solid-state material developed over eight years of research at DTU Energy. Its composition is a trade secret and is deliberately not disclosed.

What matters operationally is its behaviour: high ammonia capacity, selective uptake over nitrogen and hydrogen, and durability across thousands of adsorption and regeneration cycles.

What extraction efficiency does it achieve?

Over 99% in a single pass, compared with under 70% for conventional cryogenic condensation. Higher single-pass extraction means less unreacted gas has to be recycled, which reduces compression duty across the entire loop - a saving that shows up well beyond the separation unit itself.

What pressure and temperature does it operate at?

Below 50 bar, at near-ambient temperature during adsorption, with a mild thermal swing for regeneration. There is no 250-bar compression stage and no cryogenic chilling, which is what removes the compressors, chillers and heavy-wall vessels from the plant design.

How long does the sorbent last?

The sorbent is a consumable, replaced periodically over the plant's operating life rather than continuously. Durability across thousands of cycles is a core design requirement and a focus of our field-testing programme. Replacement intervals and supply terms are agreed as part of a commercial arrangement.

Does it work with any ammonia synthesis technology?

Yes. The Sorption Booster is synthesis-agnostic - it operates on the gas stream leaving the reactor, regardless of how the ammonia was made. Ammisorb does not build ammonia plants and does not compete with synthesis technology providers. The unit is designed to be integrated into other companies' plant designs.

How does it integrate into an existing synthesis loop?

It installs downstream of the synthesis reactor, in the position a condenser or chiller would otherwise occupy. To scope an integration we need the loop's gas composition, flow rate, operating pressure and temperature profile.

That technical assessment is normally the first step of any engagement, and it is where most conversations with plant designers start.

What plant sizes is it designed for?

Green ammonia plants producing roughly 1 to 100 tonnes per day. This is the range where conventional cryogenic separation stops making economic sense, and it covers most decentralised, renewable-powered and co-located plant designs.

How much does it reduce plant cost?

Up to 25% lower total capital cost and up to 22% lower total operating cost, compared with a plant using conventional chiller-based separation. These are plant-level figures modelled across reference modular plant designs, not separation-unit-only figures.

Can it be used for ammonia cracking or purification?

Yes. The same selective sorption principle removes trace ammonia from cracked hydrogen, which matters where fuel-cell-grade purity is required. It is one of six application areas we work across, alongside fertiliser production, renewable energy plants, green hydrogen plants, maritime fuel and chemical plants.

Can I buy a Sorption Booster today?

Not yet. The technology is in prototype field testing through 2026, with commercial availability planned as the product line scales. Organisations wanting early access work with us through pilot agreements.

If you are designing or financing a plant now, the useful conversation is about integration and economics rather than purchase - get in touch and we will scope it.

What does it cost?

Pricing is quoted per project, because unit sizing depends on plant capacity and loop conditions. At evaluation stage the more useful number is plant-level impact: up to 25% lower capital cost and up to 22% lower operating cost across the whole facility.

How do we start a conversation about a pilot?

Write to hello@ammisorb.com with your plant capacity, operating pressure and target timeline. Engagements typically begin with a technical assessment of your synthesis loop, followed by a scoped integration study.

We reply to all enquiries within two business days.

Who does Ammisorb work with?

System integrators who design and build modular green ammonia plants, and project developers who specify equipment for those plants. We have pilot agreements in place with system integrators, and we announce partners jointly rather than unilaterally.

If you are building or financing a modular green ammonia plant and extraction is where your economics break, that is the conversation we want to have.

What stage is the technology at?

The Sorption Booster is at technology readiness level 4. The team demonstrated the first integrated extraction in hardware at DTU in December 2025, and field testing through 2026 targets TRL 6.

We say this plainly because the people evaluating us are engineers. Overstating readiness in deep tech costs more than it gains.

Is the technology patented?

The Sorption Booster is protected by European patent application 25173190.7, filed in April 2025, with a PCT application filed in April 2026. The sorbent formulation itself is held as a trade secret rather than patented, which keeps the manufacturing know-how out of the public record.

Who founded Ammisorb?

Anastasiia Karabanova and Amit Khamkar. Anastasiia is CEO and CTO, and began working on ammonia sorption materials in 2017 as a PhD student at DTU Energy, later leading six dedicated ammonia extraction research projects. Amit is Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer, and joined in 2026 after two decades of commercial leadership at Tata Power, Danfoss and Nilfisk.

What is Ammisorb's relationship to DTU?

Ammisorb is a spinout from DTU Energy at the Technical University of Denmark, incorporated in April 2026. The underlying research was carried out at DTU Energy from 2017 onward, and the company is based at DTU SkyFactory in Copenhagen.

Where is Ammisorb based?

Copenhagen, Denmark, at DTU SkyFactory, Elektrovej 331, 2800 Kongens Lyngby. Ammisorb ApS is registered in Denmark under CVR number 46401557.

Who supports Ammisorb?

Ammisorb's development has been supported by Innovationsfonden, the VILLUM P2X Accelerator, DTU Skylab, DTU Earthbound and DTU SkyFactory.

Why does green ammonia matter?

Ammonia-based fertilisers support the food supply of roughly half the world's population, and ammonia is emerging as a zero-carbon maritime fuel and hydrogen carrier. Today over 95% of European ammonia is made from natural gas, 80% of which is imported.

Global ammonia production emits around 450 million tonnes of CO₂ a year - more than the United Kingdom's entire annual emissions. Producing it locally from renewable electricity addresses food security, energy resilience and emissions at the same time.

Why produce ammonia locally rather than importing it?

Because centralised production concentrates risk. Fertiliser prices spike when gas prices spike, and supply routes are exposed to geopolitical disruption. Local production using air, water and renewable electricity turns a globally traded commodity into regional infrastructure.

It also avoids the cost and emissions of shipping ammonia long distances to the farms and ports that use it.

How big is the green ammonia market?

Green ammonia is projected to grow from around €1B in 2025 to €96B by 2035, a compound annual growth rate of 58%. Ammonia extraction equipment within that build-out represents a total addressable market of roughly €5B by 2035.

Ammisorb's serviceable segment is the low-pressure modular end - plants of 1 to 100 tonnes per day operating below 50 bar - worth around €1B.