Ammonia is a carbon-free hydrogen-rich carrier.
Storage of hydrogen in ammonia has unique advantages of high energy density, ease of storage and transportation, reliable safety, a mature industrial base and no trailing carbon emissions.
The industrial synthesis of ammonia is based on the Haber-Bosch process, which allows the synthesis of ammonia on a large scale using nitrogen and hydrogen as reagents in the presence of a heterogeneous iron-based catalyst.
In our case, the Haber-Bosch process combines nitrogen taken via a membrane purification system from the air with hydrogen derived primarily from syngas in ammonia.
The reaction is reversible and the production of ammonia is exothermic.
2N2 + 3H2 D 2NH3 rH = -92 Kj mol-1
With each pass of gases through the reactor, only about 15% of the nitrogen and hydrogen converts to ammonia. By continuously recycling the unreacted nitrogen and hydrogen, the overall conversion is approximately 98%.
The ammonia produced can be used together with CO2 for the synthesis of urea, a compound used above all for the fertilizer industry and for transport.
