Plasma N2-fixation: 1900–2014

•Literature on plasma nitric oxide and ammonia synthesis is critically analyzed.•High energy consumption and low N2 conversion are the main issues.•Plasma type, reactor configurations, plasma catalysis and heat transfer improvement are discussed.•Detailed analysis on energy requirement in plasma nitrogen fixation is presented.•Future prospect for the industrialization of plasma chemical process is discussed.

Nitrogen is the most basic element responsible for the growth of living creatures on earth. Chemical nitrogen fixation process is one of the most important chemical processes, which sustains the growing global population. Wherein the life changing Haber-Bosch process comes into the picture, which produces more than 130 million tons of ammonia per year by consuming ∼1–2% of the world's total energy consumption and sustains ∼40% of the world's population. Several efforts have been invested to develop an energy efficient alternative to this not-so-environmentally-friendly process. Nitric oxide and ammonia synthesis, with plasma as an alternative energy form, have been investigated extensively over the last 100 years. This review covers the important findings in the field of plasma nitrogen fixation and critically analyzes the studies reported from 1900 to 2014.

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