Comparing nitrate production through CGDE (contact glow discharge electrolysis) using Na₂SO₄ solution and K₂SO₄ solution

Fertilizer is the most important thing in agriculture to nourish the plant to produce high quality harvest. The most important element in fertilizer is nitrogen which comes from the air. The form of nitrogen in fertilizer are ammonia with fertilization efficiency 40% and nitrate with fertilization efficiency 60%. The recent industrial fertilizer production process, ammonia synthesis which called Haber-Bosch process, still not environmentally friendly and also consume high energy. Environmentally friendly and lower energy process is needed to produce fertilizer. Some study related to nitrogen fixation to produce fertilizer has been made including Contact Glow Discharge Electrolysis (CDGE). Contact Glow Discharge Electrolysis (CGDE) is an effective technology to fix nitrogen from the air into the solutions because of its ability to produce reactive species such as hydroxyl radicals and electrons to break the N₂ bond and transfer it into the solution. This study is comparing CDGE in Na₂SO₄ solution and K₂SO₄ solution and will be implemented in batch reactor, in 600 and 800 watts, in 0.02 M concentration, anode depth 1.5 and 3.5 cm, with air injection flow rate 0.2 liter per minute as the source of nitrogen and 1,5 liter of solution is used. Plasma in K₂SO₄ had better nitrate production in both conditions used.