Ammonia, despite being one of the cornerstones of modern agriculture and global food security, has been produced using the same method for many years. The Haber-Bosch process, in use for approximately a century, is efficient but is increasingly criticized for its high cost and environmental impact. US-based startup Ammobia aims to overcome these drawbacks by essentially reinventing this well-established technology.
Could Also Be an Alternative to Hydrogen
According to information shared by the company, Ammobia has developed a method that can reduce ammonia production costs by up to 40 percent through technical improvements to the Haber-Bosch process. The Haber-Bosch process is a method where atmospheric nitrogen and hydrogen are chemically combined under high temperature and pressure to produce ammonia. The company has also completed a $7.5 million seed investment round to demonstrate that the technology can operate on a larger scale.
Ammonia is not only limited to fertilizer production but could also play a critical role in future energy transition. Japan and South Korea, in particular, have developed ammonia-based roadmaps for industrial and transportation sectors. It is known that ammonia has a higher energy density compared to hydrogen. When combined with the fact that it is much easier to transport and store, the advantages grow.
The Current Process is Quite Polluting
The Haber-Bosch process used today creates a significant environmental burden on a global scale. Ammonia production is responsible for approximately 2 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. The process requires iron-based catalysts to react one nitrogen molecule with three hydrogen molecules at temperatures around 500°C and high pressures of approximately 200 bar. These conditions are mostly achieved by burning fossil fuels.
Moreover, dependence on fossil fuels is not only for energy but also for raw materials. While nitrogen can be easily obtained from the atmosphere, most hydrogen is produced by steam reforming methane molecules from natural gas.
What Does the New Technique Offer?
Ammobia's developed process, however, makes a significant difference at this point. According to the company's statement, the new method can operate at approximately 150°C lower temperatures and 10 times lower pressures. This makes ammonia production possible with lower emissions, even if fossil fuels are not completely eliminated.
At the same time, this technical approach also reduces plant installation costs. Since high temperature and pressure requirements are eliminated, cheaper pumps and equipment can be used.
Until now, ammonia producers had very limited options for reducing costs. Most producers focused on finding either a cheaper energy source or cheaper hydrogen.
Ammobia emphasizes that it offers a process that does not necessitate changing existing resources and can work with any type of hydrogen and heat source. The ability to operate at low pressure also creates new opportunities for renewable energy. The ease of increasing and decreasing production allows excess electricity from renewable sources to be utilized in hydrogen and, consequently, ammonia production.
Another notable difference of Ammobia is its plant scales. Currently, traditional ammonia plants have a production capacity of 1,000 to 3,000 tons per day. Ammobia's single commercial-scale unit is designed to produce approximately 250 tons of ammonia per day. Customers requiring higher capacity can scale up by installing multiple modules side-by-side.
The company does not share details on exactly how it optimized the Haber-Bosch process. However, Ammobia is known to have filed a patent application for a system that uses a sorbent to instantly remove the ammonia formed within the reactor. This approach can increase efficiency by creating space for new reactions on the catalyst surface.
Ammobia has been actively operating a small-scale unit for about a year. With the new investment, it plans to build a pilot plant with all the features of a commercial system but with a production capacity of 10 tons per day. This plant is expected to test and prove the technology in a measurable way in the real world.
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