Ammonia production
Ammonia production takes place worldwide, mostly in large-scale manufacturing plants that produce 183 million metric tonnes[1] of ammonia (2021) annually.[2][3] Leading producers are China (31.9%), Russia (8.7%), India (7.5%), and the United States (7.1%). 80% or more of ammonia is used as fertilizer. Ammonia is also used for the production of plastics, fibres, explosives, nitric acid (via the Ostwald process), and intermediates for dyes and pharmaceuticals. The industry contributes 1% to 2% of global CO
2.[4] Between 18–20 Mt of the gas is transported globally each year.[5]
History
Dry distillation
Before the start of World War I, most ammonia was obtained by the dry distillation of nitrogenous vegetable and animal products; by the reduction of nitrous acid and nitrites with hydrogen; and also by the decomposition of ammonium salts by alkaline hydroxides or by quicklime, the salt most generally used being the chloride (sal-ammoniac).
Frank–Caro process
Adolph Frank and Nikodem Caro found that Nitrogen could be fixed by using the same calcium carbide produced to make acetylene to form calcium-cyanamide, which could then be divided with water to form ammonia. The method was developed between 1895 and 1899.
Birkeland–Eyde process
While not strictly speaking a method of producing ammonia, nitrogen can be fixed by passing it (with oxygen) through an electric spark.
Nitrides
Heating metals such as magnesium in an atmosphere of pure nitrogen produces the nitride, which when combined with water produce the metal hydroxide and ammonia.
Haber-Bosch process
The
The primary reaction is:
Environmental Impacts
Because ammonia production depends on a reliable supply of energy, fossil fuels are often used, contributing to climate change when they are combusted and create greenhouse gasses.[15] Ammonia production also introduces nitrogen into the Earth's nitrogen cycle, causing imbalances that contribute to environmental issues such as algae blooms.[16][17][18] Certain production methods prove to have less of an environmental impact, such as those powered by renewable or nuclear energy.[18]
Sustainable production
Sustainable production is possible by using non-polluting
In a
Another option for recovering ammonia from wastewater is to use the mechanics of the ammonia-water thermal absorption cycle.[28][29] Ammonia can thus be recovered either as a liquid or as ammonium hydroxide. The advantage of the former is that it is much easier to handle and transport, whereas the latter has commercial value at concentrations of 30 percent in solution.
Coal
Making ammonia from coal is mainly practised in China, where it is the main source.[6] Oxygen from the air separation module is fed to the gasifier to convert coal into synthesis gas (H2, CO, CO2) and CH4. Most gasifiers are based on fluidized beds that operate above atmospheric pressure and have the ability to utilize different coal feeds.
Production plants
The American Oil Co in the mid-1960s positioned a single-converter ammonia plant engineered by
Almost every plant built between 1964 and 1992 had large single-train designs with syngas manufacturing at 25–35 bar and ammonia synthesis at 150–200 bar. Braun Purifier process plants utilized a primary or tubular reformer with a low outlet temperature and high
Small-scale onsite plants
In April 2017, Japanese company Tsubame BHB implemened a method of ammonia synthesis that could allow economic production at scales 1-2 orders of magnitude below than ordinary plants with utilizing electrochemical catalyst.[31][32]
Green ammonia
In 2024, the BBC announced numerous companies were attempting to reduce the 2% of global carbon emissions caused by the use/production of ammonia by producing the product in labs. The industry has become known as "green ammonia."[33]
Byproducts and shortages due to shutdowns
One of the main industrial byproducts of ammonia production is
See also
- Ammonia
- Amine gas treating
- Haber process
- Hydrogen economy
- Methane pyrolysis
References
- ^ Congressional Research Service. (7 December 2022). "Ammonia’s Potential Role in a Low-Carbon Economy". CRP website Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ "Global ammonia annual production capacity".
- ^ "Mitsubishi Heavy Industries BrandVoice: Scaling Ammonia Production for the World's Food Supply". Forbes.
- ^ Koop, Fermin (2023-01-13). "Green ammonia (and fertilizer) may finally be in sight -- and it would be huge". ZME Science. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ Congressional Research Service. (7 December 2022). "Ammonia’s Potential Role in a Low-Carbon Economy". CRP website Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Introduction to Ammonia Production". www.aiche.org. 2016-09-08. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
- ISBN 978-93-131-6303-9.
- ISBN 978-0-306-40895-3.
- ISBN 978-3527306732.
- ^ Clark 2013, "The forward reaction (the production of ammonia) is exothermic. According to Le Chatelier's Principle, this will be favoured at a lower temperature. The system will respond by moving the position of equilibrium to counteract this – in other words by producing more heat. To obtain as much ammonia as possible in the equilibrium mixture, as low a temperature as possible is needed".
- ^ Clark 2013, "Notice that there are 4 molecules on the left-hand side of the equation, but only 2 on the right. According to Le Chatelier's Principle, by increasing the pressure the system will respond by favouring the reaction which produces fewer molecules. That will cause the pressure to fall again. To get as much ammonia as possible in the equilibrium mixture, as high a pressure as possible is needed. 200 atmospheres is a high pressure, but not amazingly high".
- ISBN 978-0-262-69313-4.
- ISBN 978-0-307-35178-4.
- ISBN 978-0-8155-0734-5.
- PMID 37554439.
- ISSN 1748-9326.
- PMID 23713116.
- ^ PMID 37660421.
- S2CID 244814932. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- ^ "Water Electrolysis > Products > Home". Uhde Chlorine Engineers. Archived from the original on 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
- ^ "Iceland launches energy revolution". BBC News. 2001-12-24. Archived from the original on 7 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-23.
- ^ Bradley, David (2004-02-06). "A Great Potential: The Great Lakes as a Regional Renewable Energy Source" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
- ISBN 978-0-444-50965-9.
- ^ "StackPath". www.waterworld.com. March 2010.
- PMID 29406102.
- ISBN 978-1-4419-0654-0.
- PMID 26530809.
- .
- S2CID 115749773.
- ^ "Das Zweidruckverfahren von Uhde - Düngemittelanlagen". Industrial Solutions (in German). Retrieved 2021-12-08.
- ^ "Ajinomoto Co., Inc., UMI, and Tokyo Institute of Technology Professors Establish New Company to implement the World's First On Site Production of Ammonia". Ajinomoto. 27 April 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
- ^ "Technology / Business Introduction". Tsubame BHB. 27 April 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
- ^ Baraniuk, Chris (27 February 2024). "Why firms are racing to produce green ammonia". BBC News.
- ^ "This is exactly why we're running out of CO2 for beer and meat production". iNews. 2018-06-28.
- ^ "Why is there a CO2 shortage and how will it hit food supplies?". BBC News. 2021-09-20. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
- ^ "Gas crisis: No chance lights will go out, says government". BBC News. 2021-09-20. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
Works cited
- Clark, Jim (April 2013) [2002]. "The Haber Process". Retrieved 15 December 2018.
External links
- Today's Hydrogen Production Industry
- Energy Use and Energy Intensity of the U.S. Chemical Industry Archived 2018-09-30 at the Wayback Machine, Report LBNL-44314, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Scroll down to page 39 of 40 PDF pages for a list of the ammonia plants in the United States)
- Ammonia: The Next Step includes a detailed process flow diagram.
- Ammonia production process plant flow sheet in brief with three controls.