The first technology (GEN 1) involves the use of CO2 capture or compensation to bring the net environmental impact of ammonia production to zero. This is referred to as “blue ammonia”, following the color scheme often used in hydrogen production. This capture adds cost and complexity to the installation on top of pre-existing Haber-Bosch technology. Therefore, it should be considered only a transitional solution useful mainly for spreading the use of ammonia beyond the chemical and fertilizer industries.
Modern Haber-Bosch plants produce ammonia with an energy cost of at least 8 MWh per tonne. The lower heating value (PCL) of ammonia is 5.2 MWh per tonne: this represents an energy efficiency of 65%. This value, however, does not include the energy costs resulting from the CO2 sequestration process.
