• From Nitrogen to Ammonia

What?

PHOTONIA stands for Photocatalytic Conversion of Nitrogen to Ammonia for On-Site Fertilizer Production. The project is developing a groundbreaking technology that converts atmospheric nitrogen into ammonium nitrate using solar energy. This innovative approach offers a sustainable alternative to conventional fertilizer production, which is currently responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions.

How?

By utilizing the latest insights into photochemistry and photocatalysis, PHOTONIA contributes to a circular nitrogen economy and lays the foundation for decentralized fertilizer production. The technology is being tested within horticulture, where PHOTONIA panels can be installed in greenhouses to produce fertilizers locally — directly from sunlight and air.

Our goals

Reduce CO2 emission

PHOTONIA reduces CO₂ emissions by producing clean nitrogen fertilisers with sunlight and air, avoiding fossil‑fuel‑intensive factories and long transport routes while supporting a more sustainable, low‑impact agricultural system.

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Increase fertilizers availability

PHOTONIA increases fertiliser availability by generating nitrogen nutrients directly on‑site, giving growers a steady and reliable supply, reducing shortages and delays, and limiting dependence on distant industrial production.

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Strengthen European technologic independence

PHOTONIA strengthens European technological independence by enabling local solar‑powered nitrogen production, reducing reliance on external suppliers and reinforcing resilient regional innovation across the agricultural sector.

Solar-to-X Porfolio

PHOTONIA is part of the Solar-to-X portfolio, which brings together eight high-risk, high-reward research projects funded under the 2024 EIC Pathfinder Challenges call, each aiming to deliver radically new devices that convert sunlight directly into fuels, chemicals, materials or even food, using simple feedstock (e.g. CO2, N2, water) and without relying on conventional electricity-based processes.

These projects adopt a variety of technological pathways, from fully integrated photovoltaic–electrochemical (PV-EC) devices and perovskite-tandem solar reactors, to biohybrid photo-electrochemical systems combining living microbes and sunlight, in order to explore multiple possible routes toward decentralized “solar-to-X” production.

The ambition is not only to prove concept at lab scale (TRL 1-3), but to reach prototype-level maturity (TRL 4) over the next 3–4 years, and in doing so lay the foundation for a more decentralized, green economy – where fuels, chemicals, materials and food are produced locally, directly from sunlight and basic feedstocks.

In cooperation with our partners

Funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe grant 101223328 (PHOTONIA). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

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