Patent ID: 8578702

Claim:
A method of storing and delivering ammonia, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a container; (b) placing an ammonia containing material in said container, said ammonia containing material being a chemical complex in the form of an ionic salt of the general formula: M a (NH 3 ) n X z , wherein M is one or more cations selected from alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, Al and transition metals or combinations thereof, X is one or more anions selected from fluoride, chloride, bromide, iodide, nitrate, thiocyanate, sulphate, molybdate and phosphate ions, a is the number of cations per salt molecule, z is the number of anions per salt molecule, and n is the coordination number of 2 to 12; (c) irradiating said ammonia containing material with electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength or wavelengths in the infrared region between 1 and 15 micrometers for photon-activated release of ammonia to the gas phase, wherein the wavelength spectrum of said radiation is chosen to match one or several absorption peaks of said ammonia containing material; and wherein the released ammonia is used in selective catalytic reduction of NOx in exhaust gases from combustion processes.