Ammonia

Ammonia (NH ₃ ) is a chemical compound composed of one atom of nitrogen (N) and three atoms of hydrogen (H) existing in a liquid or gaseous state.

The industrial production of ammonia is divided into two main stages: dihydrogen production and ammonia synthesis. Dihydrogen is obtained by reforming methane (or other heavier hydrocarbons such as coal and naphtha) with steam. Ammonia is then synthesized by a catalytic reaction between nitrogen from the air and dihydrogen from natural gas/hydrocarbons and steam. This industrial ammonia synthesis process is known as Haber-Bosch.

The technology for ammonia production is well established, with only minor modifications to the original synthesis process (Haber-Bosch).

However, improvements have been made on the energy front and particularly involve reducing CO ₂ production or implementing alternative energy sources (i.e. non-CO ₂ -generating process, alternative dihydrogen production by photo and electrocatalytic means).

Ammonia is mainly used in the manufacture of fertilizers, explosives and polymers. In the agricultural sector, ammonia is the main component of nitrogen fertilizers, and around 80% of the world's ammonia production is used in the soil fertilizer industry.

Ammonia is one of the world's most important synthetic chemicals, second only to sulfuric acid. World production is estimated at 140 million tonnes per year. Global ammonia production is dominated by China, with 32% of total world production in 2012. Other major producers are India (9%), the United States (7%) and Russia (7%).

As the world's population continues to grow, so does ammonia consumption. It is even estimated that demand for ammonia will increase to almost 200 million tonnes by 2018. Readers will find more details on statistical data relating to global ammonia production in the "Find out more" section [Doc. J6135].