Powering the clean energy transition with green ammonia

Ammonia is the second most produced chemical in the world. As the main ingredient in fertiliser, it’s the backbone of global food production and can also contribute to the clean energy transition.

Ammonia is fast becoming a promising fuel for shipping, a key driver of low emissions power generation, and one of the most efficient ways to transport hydrogen across the globe.

But it’s also one the world’s largest sources of emissions. Every year, ammonia production releases 500 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. As global demand for ammonia grows, so does the environmental challenge.

For nearly a century, ammonia has been produced by combining hydrogen and nitrogen using a high-pressure, high-temperature industrial method that relies on fossil fuels to generate intense amounts of energy.

University of Newcastle researchers have developed a novel way to produce clean ammonia with dramatically lower energy use and no reliance on fossil fuels.

Their patent-pending process creates ammonia in a single step using only water and air.

The scalable solution can reduce energy consumption, emissions and operating costs while advancing the clean energy sector. The technology can also integrate seamlessly into conventional ammonia reactors or be used in novel reactor designs.

With support from the University’s Integrated Innovation Network and Australia’s national science agency CSIRO, the research team turned their innovation into a commercially viable startup. In 2025, Facet Amtech became the first spinout to go through the University's official Spinout Framework, with aims to commercialise its game-changing research.

Facet Amtech is developing its first pilot scale demonstration site in 2026, which will provide technology validation and strengthen partnerships across the energy, shipping, fertiliser and hydrogen sectors.

Where to from here

• Facet Amtech has received $700,000 of investment from venture capital firms Main Sequence Ventures and Uniseed and is in the final stages of securing a larger follow-on investment round, signalling confidence in the technology and its commercial potential.

• Facet Amtech has more than doubled its workforce as it builds the commercial, engineering and product development capability needed to scale its first-of-a-kind clean ammonia technology.

• Facet Amtech has received significant interest from international companies based in Australia, the United States, Europe and Asia. This positive engagement with industry highlights the incredible commercial potential of the technology on the world stage.