Energy consumption in Japan’s eco-friendly ammonia synthesis route reduced by half

If this product is developed, synthetic ammonia will undergo a major transformation

Yes, urea prices will also drop significantly!

I hope that our country’s researchers can also develop their own efficient catalysts for ammonia synthesis

If this technology is introduced into industrial facilities at an early date, the production cost of synthetic ammonia can be further reduced, which will undoubtedly benefit humanity.

This post was last edited by TH373637 on 2012-12-14 at 11:32. Xinhua News Agency, Tokyo, October 22 (Reporter Lan Jianzhong) – A research team led by Professor Hideo Hosono from the Tokyo Institute of Technology reported on the 22nd in the online edition of the British journal Nature Chemistry that they have developed a new technique for the efficient synthesis of ammonia, one that requires only one-tenth of the energy used by traditional methods. 　　Ammonia is quite important for life on Earth; it is a key component of all foods and fertilizers, and it is also involved, directly or indirectly, in the synthesis of drugs. It holds promise for use in fuel cells as well. Ammonia is one of the most widely produced inorganic compounds in the world, with approximately 170 million tons produced globally each year. 　　Ammonia is synthesized through the reaction of nitrogen and hydrogen, but breaking the strong bonds between nitrogen molecules and enabling them to react with hydrogen requires a large amount of energy. 　　Researchers such as Hideo Hosono added ruthenium particles, which are commonly used in the current synthesis of ammonia, to the superconducting material C12A7 they developed to create a catalyst. C12A7 is a calcium aluminate compound and the main component of high-alumina cement. 　　Researchers have found that under the action of this catalyst, nitrogen and hydrogen can be efficiently used to synthesize ammonia. They believe this is because the relevant electrons become more mobile during combination, thereby making nitrogen molecules easier to transform into atoms. 　　Researchers at the Tokyo Institute of Technology plan to further improve the performance of the aforementioned catalysts in the future, with the goal of making this new technology practical within 5 to 10 years. Efficient catalysts enable low-pressure ammonia synthesis Date: 11-16-2012 By using a new type of efficient Fe1-xO-based molten iron catalyst in existing ammonia synthesis processes, the synthesis can be shifted from high-pressure to low-pressure conditions, thereby significantly reducing the energy consumption required for ammonia synthesis ； If a new synthesis process tailored to this catalyst is used, the energy-saving effects will be even more significant, offering the potential for new breakthroughs in low-pressure ammonia synthesis. This is the information obtained by reporters during an interview with Professor Liu Huazhang from Zhejiang University of Technology yesterday. 　　Liu Huazhang said that the approach to reducing energy consumption and emissions in China’s synthetic ammonia industry lies in minimizing the fuel used for power generation, that is, by reducing the synthesis pressure and the associated energy consumption; the key to this lies in efficient catalysts and the supporting process technologies. The new Fe1-xO-based ammonia synthesis catalysts exhibit high activity, especially at low pressures. Therefore, by using new high-efficiency catalysts as the core, carrying out low-pressure energy-saving upgrades to China’s existing small and medium-sized ammonia synthesis plants with a synthesis pressure of 30 MPa results in cost savings, rapid returns, and good outcomes ； For China’s domestically designed large-scale ammonia synthesis plants with an annual production capacity of 200,000 tons, it is also feasible to use new high-efficiency catalysts and advanced ammonia synthesis processes that reduce the synthesis pressure to 10–15 MPa. 　　Simulation tests show that for a synthetic ammonia plant with an annual production capacity of 200,000 tons, when the ammonia synthesis pressure is reduced from 30 MPa to 15 MPa and 10 MPa, the energy-saving efficiency can reach 12.34% and 18.31%, respectively ； The amount of standard coal saved per ton of ammonia can reach 51.34 kilograms and 76.16 kilograms respectively; the annual savings in standard coal can amount to 10,300 tons and 15,200 tons. Additionally, carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by 23,500 tons and 34,900 tons respectively. The isobaric ammonia synthesis process using 8.53 MPa residue oil, coal powder, or water-coal slurry for gas production at 7.5 MPa achieves particularly significant energy savings. At the same time, as the pressure levels of compressors and equipment decrease, related costs are reduced; the cost of syngas compressors and equipment operating at 15 MPa is 37.2% lower than that at 30 MPa, while the cost of the main equipment in the synthesis loop can be reduced by 12.1%. 　　Based on experimental studies of over 200 catalyst formulations, Liu Huazhang’s research team utilized the Generalized Regression Neural Network (GRNN) model and intelligent computing methods to determine the optimal catalyst formulation, thereby developing a new type of high-efficiency Fe1-xO-based ammonia synthesis catalyst. And each catalyst corresponds to a new ammonia synthesis process suitable for it. For example, the British ICI-AMV low-pressure synthesis process suitable for iron-cobalt catalysts, and the American KAAP new process suitable for ruthenium catalysts, etc. 　　Liu Huazhang pointed out that the issue of high energy consumption in ammonia synthesis in our country has yet to be effectively resolved, mainly due to the use of high-pressure synthesis processes, which result in high synthesis pressures and significant energy consumption. Although our country possesses some of the most advanced ammonia synthesis catalysts in the world, they are used in relatively backward ammonia synthesis processes. To date, there is still no low-pressure ammonia synthesis process that can match the performance of low-pressure, highly active catalysts; one of the development trends for large-scale ammonia plants with low energy consumption abroad is precisely the use of low-pressure ammonia synthesis processes. Therefore, the industry urgently needs new catalysts and processes compatible with low-pressure ammonia synthesis in order to meet the increasingly pressing tasks of energy conservation and emission reduction.

This post was last edited by TH373637 on 2012-12-14 at 14:16. By combining the above two methods, new ideas and technologies might emerge. It seems that we are good at combining methods like this; we will surely surpass them as we continue to work on this. I believe we can definitely beat them – keep up the good work!