Sustainable · Distributed · Electrified

Ammonia synthesis,
reimagined beyond
Haber-Bosch

Low-pressure, solid-absorbent ammonia production powered by renewable electricity. Modular for any small industrial site, clean for a net-zero future.

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No on-site combustion
Runs on renewable electricity
No refrigeration needed
Circular energy storage
TTU Innovation Award

Prototype fund awarded

Texas Tech University Office of Research Commercialization validated Haliferro's commercialization pathway and funded bench-scale prototype development.

5–6
TRL
Laboratory prototype validated, now transitioning to bench-scale integrated system demonstration.
~10×
more NH₃ capacity
vs. conventional molecular sieves
10–15×
lower operating pressure
vs. Haber-Bosch (20 vs 150–300 atm)
Zero
refrigeration required
solid absorbent replaces the cold condenser
50+
stable cycles
no capacity loss, ready to scale
The core difference

Conventional Haber-Bosch vs.
Reaction-Absorption (RXN-ABS)

For a century, Haber-Bosch has separated ammonia by deep-refrigerating synthesis gas to −20 °C, a step requiring enormous infrastructure that makes small-scale production impossible. Haliferro's RXN-ABS replaces the refrigeration condenser with solid MgCl₂ absorbent beds that capture NH₃ at 180–330 °C and only 20 atm, with no phase change required.

RXN-CON vs RXN-ABS process comparison schematic
RXN-CON
Conventional Haber-Bosch
High pressure · Deep refrigeration · Mega-scale only
✕
150–300 atm: 10–15× higher pressure than our system; requires massive compressors
✕
−20 °C condenser: energy-intensive refrigeration just to separate the product
✕
500–1,000+ t/day minimum: only economical at mega-scale; inaccessible to smaller buyers
✕
Gas-fired heaters: direct on-site CO₂ emissions from combustion, unavoidable by design
✕
Equilibrium-limited: product must be removed by cooling, capping per-pass conversion
✕
Pressurized liquid NH₃ storage: creates safety and logistics burden at distributed sites
RXN-ABS
Haliferro Reaction-Absorption
10–15× lower pressure · No refrigeration · Modular
✓
~20 atm: compact, inexpensive vessels; infrastructure cost dramatically reduced
✓
Solid metal halide absorber: captures NH₃ at process temperature; no condenser, no refrigerants, no phase change
✓
Right-sized for your site: modular units deployable at small industrial or agricultural scale
✓
Microwave electrified heating: no on-site combustion; zero direct emissions when powered by renewables
✓
Le Chatelier shift: continuous NH₃ removal drives higher conversion per pass, no cold trap needed
✓
Solid-state NH₃ storage: inherently safer, no pressurized liquid tanks required on-site
Distributed manufacturing

Make ammonia where you need it —
powered by what's already there

Traditional ammonia is made thousands of miles away and trucked to you. Haliferro's modular RXN-ABS system flips that model: small enough to fit on a farm or industrial site, powered by local solar or wind, producing NH₃ on demand with no supply chain dependence.

Distributed green ammonia production with solar, wind, small low-pressure NH₃ plant, on-site storage, crop field
Haliferro's modular RXN-ABS system in a distributed deployment: renewable electricity (solar + wind) powers an electrolyzer to produce H₂; N₂ is separated on-site from air; the low-pressure synthesis plant produces NH₃ and stores it safely on-site, ready for use when needed, with no trucks or supply chain.

Made on-site, on demand

No more waiting for deliveries or managing liquid ammonia logistics. Produce what you need, when you need it, at the point of use.

Eliminates transport dependency

Removes the cost, emissions, and supply-chain risk of long-haul ammonia tanker trucks. Lower cost per unit of NH₃ delivered.

Inherently safer by design

Low-pressure operation (20 atm vs 150–300 atm) and solid-state storage make on-site deployment safer than conventional high-pressure systems.

~10× more
NH₃ capacity vs. molecular sieve
|
10–15× lower
pressure vs. Haber-Bosch
|
Zero refrigeration
solid-state capture only
|
50+ cycles
no capacity loss, unlike adsorbents
Electrified process heating

Microwave selective heating:
targeted, rapid, no combustion

Microwaves deliver energy directly to the catalyst bed via electromagnetic fields, selectively heating the solid catalyst while the surrounding gas phase stays cooler. This temperature differential accelerates the desired reaction and suppresses unwanted side reactions.

Powered by off-the-shelf microwave generators connected through a simple coaxial cable, the system runs entirely on electricity, with no gas-fired furnaces and no fossil fuels.

Selective heating of the catalyst bed

Microwaves preferentially heat the solid catalyst, not the surrounding gas. This creates a temperature differential that drives higher conversion and better selectivity.

Fully electrified, no combustion

Powered entirely by electricity from an off-the-shelf MW generator. Compatible with solar or wind power for zero direct emissions.

Rapid, volumetric heating

Energy is delivered throughout the catalyst bed simultaneously, not conducted from an outer surface inward. Faster response, more uniform temperature, better process control.

Compact and modular

Microwave heating eliminates large furnaces and heat exchangers. The heating system scales down with the reactor, a natural fit for the distributed, small-footprint systems Haliferro targets.

Selective microwave heating schematic showing a glass reactor, helical antennas, dark porous catalyst bed, and cooler gas phase
Microwave heating delivers energy directly to the catalyst bed via electromagnetic fields, selectively heating the solid catalyst while the surrounding gas phase stays cooler. This temperature differential accelerates the desired reaction while suppressing side reactions, with no combustion or fossil fuel heating required.
Core material innovation

Metal halide absorbent:
the heart of the system

We engineered an ultrastable absorbent by loading metal halide salts onto a high-surface-area mesoporous support, a combination that delivers far higher NH₃ capacity, exceptional cycle stability, and straightforward scale-up compared to conventional alternatives.

~10× more
vs. molecular sieves
NH₃ absorption capacity
Conventional molecular sieves have low NH₃ uptake. Our metal halide absorbent holds roughly 10× more NH₃ per gram of material, so less absorbent is needed for the same output.
50+ cycles
no performance drop
Exceptional cycle stability
Conventional adsorbents degrade with cycling. Our absorbent shows no measurable capacity loss across every demonstrated cycle, which is critical for long-term deployment.
No refrigeration
cold condenser eliminated
Solid-state capture at process temperature
Conventional systems need a cold condenser to liquefy NH₃. Our solid absorbent captures it directly at process temperature, with no cold utilities and no refrigerants needed.
10–15×
lower operating pressure
Milder synthesis conditions
Conventional plants operate at extreme pressures requiring industrial-grade compressors. Our system runs at a fraction of that: simpler vessels, lower cost, inherently safer on-site.
Pellet form
industrial-ready
Binder-based scale-up
No complex impregnation at scale: binder-pelletized MgCl₂ drops into standard packed beds. Validated in published CES 2026 research.
Rapid
MW-triggered release
Microwave desorption
A short burst of microwave heat releases pure NH₃ from the saturated bed. The absorbent is regenerated and ready for the next cycle immediately.
Also extended to methanol synthesis

The same reactor-absorber concept extends to methanol synthesis: a standard methanol catalyst coupled with our metal halide absorbent continuously removes product from the reactor, circumventing thermodynamic equilibrium and boosting yield at lower operating pressure. (CEJ 2026)

Thermochemical energy storage

Store solar energy as ammonia —
in a solid, indefinitely

Think of it as a chemical battery. When renewable electricity is cheap and abundant, use it to make and store ammonia as a stable solid. When energy is needed, release it on demand, with no self-discharge, no pressurized tanks, and energy density competitive with liquid fuels.

The ammonia thermochemical storage cycle

Reversible solid-state cycling between MgCl₂ and MgCl₂·nNH₃ delivers long-duration seasonal storage with no degradation over 50+ cycles and no self-discharge at ambient conditions.

Solar surplus

Cheap renewable electricity → H₂ electrolysis

→
NH₃ synthesis

N₂ + H₂ over Ru catalyst at mild conditions

→
Solid storage

NH₃ absorbed into MgCl₂: no tanks, no pressure, no self-discharge

→
Dispatch

MW desorption releases NH₃, cracked to H₂ or combusted for power

Far safer than liquid NH₃

No pressurized tanks; the solid ammine complex is stable at ambient conditions

Long-duration seasonal storage

No self-discharge; stable in storage like a chemical battery that never leaks

Competitive energy density

Mg(NH₃)₆Cl₂ stores 3.46 kWh/L, far denser than compressed hydrogen at 200 bar

Market segments

Three markets, one platform

Haliferro's absorbent technology addresses distinct but overlapping customer segments, all underserved by conventional centralized infrastructure.

Primary market

Distributed ammonia production

Small-to-mid industrial facilities needing on-site NH₃ supply at milder synthesis conditions. Our product is the synthesis platform, not a fertilizer end product.

Secondary market

Thermochemical energy storage

Renewable developers needing long-duration seasonal storage. Ammonia as a solid chemical battery: synthesized when electricity is cheap, dispatched on demand.

Tertiary market

Waste heat recovery

Data centers and industrial facilities with low-grade waste heat. Our absorbent integrates into resorptive heat pump systems to upgrade and recover thermal energy.

Intellectual property

Defensible IP across materials,
systems, and processes

Texas Tech University
2023

WO2023250178A1: Supported absorbents for ammonia separation

Core supported metal halide sorbent material claims.

Issued
2024

Provisional: Methods for making ammonia absorbents

Binder-based and impregnation preparation methods.

Pending
2023

PCT (TTU/UMN): Absorbents using salts in metal fiber matrix

Thermally conductive absorbent configurations.

PCT Filed
University of Minnesota (co-invented)
2024

US 11,873,227: Integrated apparatus for producing ammonia

Reaction-absorption integrated system apparatus claims.

Issued
2023

US 11,548,789: Stable ammonia absorbents

Silica-supported metal halide sorbent composition.

Issued
2019

US 10,287,173: Process for making ammonia

Low-pressure reaction-absorption process claims.

Issued
Peer-reviewed science

Published in top-tier journals

2025
Chemical Engineering Journal

Insights into structure-composition-capacity relationship of ultrastable metal halide absorbents for ammonia separation and storage

Mahtab & Malmali. Establishes the absorbent design principles behind Haliferro's core technology, achieving ~10× the NH₃ capacity of molecular sieves with no degradation over 50+ cycles. DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2025.160105

2026
Chemical Engineering Science

Scalable binder-based metal halide absorbents for ammonia absorption and storage

Dowding, Nowrin, Mahtab, Humayun, Rahman & Malmali. Production-ready pelletized MgCl₂ for industrial-scale packed beds. DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2026.123329

2026
Chemical Engineering Journal

Overcoming kinetic barriers via continuous absorption-enhanced methanol synthesis in an integrated reactor-absorber process

Mahtab, Hu & Malmali. Platform generality demonstrated for methanol synthesis. DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2026.177156

The team

Deep expertise in reaction engineering,
separations, and commercialization

MM
Entrepreneurial Lead · Inventor

Dr. Mahdi Malmali

Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at Texas Tech University. Co-inventor on six issued and pending patents spanning absorbent materials, integrated reactor-absorber systems, and process methods.

50+
publications
$9.6M
federal research
6+
patents
TM
Technical Lead · Prototype Development

Dr. Tanveer Mahtab

Chemical engineer behind Haliferro's core platform. Designed and built the reaction-absorption prototype, developed the low-cost helical antenna microwave reactor, and led a four-member team on a DOE-funded pilot project. Co-inventor on the platform's foundational patent.

DOE
pilot project led
TRL 5–6
platform validated
Texas Tech University · Office of Research Commercialization

Supported by DOE, NSF, and ARPA-E funded programs. TTU ORC awarded prototype funding, validating the commercialization pathway.

Roadmap

From validated science to
deployable pilot

Completed

Laboratory validation (TRL 5–6)

Reaction-absorption demonstrated at lab scale. Absorbent capacity, cycle stability, and packed-bed performance validated. TTU prototype funding awarded.

1
0–6 months

Absorbent optimization

Improve cyclic stability, capacity, and thermal conductivity. Finalize binder pellet form for bench-scale packing.

2
3–9 months

Bench-scale integrated prototype

Build RXN-ABS system with Cu helix MW heating at 1–20 bar. Validate NH₃ production rate and conversion efficiency.

3
6–12 months

Techno-economic analysis & customer discovery

Benchmark cost and performance. Engage 25+ stakeholders across industrial buyers and energy developers.

4
12+ months

Pilot-scale deployment & follow-on funding

Seek follow-on funding. Early customer partnerships and IP licensing discussions.

Commercialization strategy
Integrated modular systems
Complete reactor-absorber units sized for specific deployment contexts.
Licensable absorbent technology
IP-backed licensing for larger system integrators.
Current product focus

Ammonia production at milder conditions in small-scale distributed settings. Haliferro delivers the synthesis platform, not a fertilizer end product.

Platform also enables
Solid-state NH₃ storage, safer than pressurized liquid
Thermochemical energy storage for renewable dispatch
Waste heat recovery via resorptive heat pumps
Get in touch

Bring ammonia production
to your site

We're working with early partners on pilot-scale demonstrations. If your operation needs local ammonia supply, thermochemical energy storage, or you want to license our absorbent technology, we'd like to talk.

Contact us → Learn more
hello@haliferro.com linkedin.com/company/haliferro haliferro.com