Turning Annoying Fine Dust into Profitable Material... Korean Research Team Successfully Develops Technology

Creating High-Value Compounds from Nitric Oxide in Fine Dust
Research Team Led by Professor Changhyuk Choi, Department of New Materials Engineering at GIST, Develops Technology to Convert Nitric Oxide (NO), a Cause of Fine Dust, into High-Value Hydroxylamine Compounds

On the 29th, when most regions nationwide were affected by yellow dust and fine dust concentrations soared to a "very bad" level, the city center viewed from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education in Jongno-gu, Seoul, appeared hazy. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] A technology has been developed to convert nitrogen monoxide (NO), a major component of fine dust, into high value-added compounds.

Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) announced on the 29th that the research team led by Professor Choi Chang-hyuk of the Department of New Materials Engineering, together with Professor Kim Hyung-jun of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Professor Kim Woo-yeol of Sookmyung Women’s University, developed a technology to convert nitrogen monoxide (NO), a major cause of fine dust, into hydroxylamine, a high value-added compound.

Hydroxylamine (NH2OH) is the main raw material for producing caprolactam, the raw material for nylon. It exists as a liquid at room temperature and, due to its high reactivity with ammonia, is considered an effective hydrogen storage material for a green hydrogen society.

The research team succeeded in producing hydroxylamine, an eco-friendly substance, very selectively in an actual reaction process by applying a technology designed based on the use of atomically stabilized iron ion catalysts and fundamental computational and spectroscopic research.

Nitrogen accounts for about 78% of the Earth's atmosphere and circulates through land, ocean, and air, playing a very important role in the survival of ecosystems including humans. However, massive amounts of nitrogen oxides are generated from livestock, agriculture, transportation, industry, and energy sectors, causing serious imbalances. It is identified as a fundamental cause of environmental pollution such as soil acidification and water pollution, as well as fine dust, which has recently emerged as a serious social problem.

The research team succeeded in producing stable hydroxylamine from nitrogen monoxide without additional external energy supply and confirmed the practical applicability of this technology.

Professor Choi Chang-hyuk said, “This research achievement can be utilized in more than three ways: reducing nitrogen oxides, a major cause of fine dust, securing raw materials for fiber production, and green hydrogen storage,” adding, “It is expected that an eco-friendly system converting environmental pollutants such as exhaust gases into useful substances for our lives can be established in the future.”

This research achievement was published online on the 25th in the world-renowned academic journal Nature Communications.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.