Technological Trends in Ammonia-to-Hydrogen Production: Insights from a Global Patent Review

With the increasing demand for clean energy and the uncertainty surrounding the application of renewables, recent years have seen ammonia emerging as a viable way to store and transport hydrogen on a large scale. Its increasing importance in national hydrogen policies, as in the case of Brunei, highlights the need to look into technological readiness and global paths of innovation for this novel fuel. This study analyzes the global development of ammonia-based hydrogen production technologies from a methodological perspective and has shown that 708 granted patents to that were systematically screened, sorted and analyzed. A statistically sound retrieval method and screening process, following the PRISMA guidelines, have been employed to categorize the patents by synthesis processes, types of catalyst, and technological field. The results indicate that electrochemical, plasma-based, photocatalysis, and hybrid systems are becoming common paths as low-temperature alternatives, while thermal catalytic breakdown remains the most popular and well-known path to pursue. A range of reactor engineering, system integration, and catalyst design efforts have been undertaken, particularly in Asia. This indicates a high level of industrial and research interest in advancing ammonia-to-hydrogen technologies. These findings offer a clear overview of current technological maturity and emerging innovation trends, supporting long-term transitions toward cleaner hydrogen pathways.