The origin and development of the synthetic ammonia industry

Thread Content

The origin and development of the synthetic ammonia industry: Before the 19th century, the source of nitrogen fertilizers needed in agriculture was mainly derived from by-products of organic materials, such as manure and green manures. In 1809, a large deposit of sodium nitrate was discovered in Chile, and it was soon mined. 70% of the inorganic nitrogen fertilizers used worldwide come from Chilean nitrate. **Industrial production** also requires large amounts of nitrate. Since nitrate resources are limited and its production and distribution channels are under British control, scientists hope to achieve atmospheric nitrogen fixation. Haber was one of the chemists who conducted experimental studies and theoretical research on the process conditions for ammonia synthesis. He successfully designed a cycle process for the feed gas. Haber’s vision for ammonia synthesis was finally realized in 1913, when a plant capable of producing 30 tons of ammonia per day was built and put into operation. Had the synthetic ammonia industry not been established, the German military would not have dared to launch World War I in 1914. In 1919, with Germany’s defeat, the patent protection on synthetic ammonia production technology was lifted, allowing it to be spread worldwide. After World War II, the increase in the world’s population spurred the development of biological genetic engineering. In the 1960s, the Green Revolution was launched to promote high-yield crops, which disrupted the balance of nitrogen in the soil and led to more severe nitrogen deficiency. Large-scale fertilizer plants began to emerge one after another, and the use of large centrifuge units provided the technical basis for building larger facilities. At the end of the last century, ultra-large ammonia synthesis plants with a daily production capacity of 2,050 tons per unit were introduced. Since 2000, with the global depletion of fossil fuels, bioenergy has seen rapid development, injecting new vitality into the century-old synthetic ammonia industry.