Fixation of atmospheric nitrogen in industrial chemistry
Answers
Industrial Nitrogen Fixation
• The Haber-Bosch process: This process directly synthesizes ammonia from
nitrogen and hydrogen. In 1909, the German chemist named Fritz Haber ascertained
that atmospheric nitrogen could be combined with hydrogen under extremely high
temperature and pressure condition which is catalyzed by an iron catalyst to yield an
extremely high proportion of ammonia, which is the starting point for the production
of a wide range of nitrogen compounds. This process was made commercially
feasible by Carl Bosch and now called as the Haber-Bosch method or the synthetic
ammonia process. The Haber-Bosch process is now one of the largest and most-basic
processes of the chemical industry throughout the world (figure 3).
• N2 + 3H2 2NH3 (only 20% conversion)
• NH3 so produced can be used directly as fertilizer, but most of it is further processed
to urea and ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3).
• Besides this, combustion of fossil fuels (natural gas, coal, crude oil) and products
produced from crude oil (petrol, diesel, gasoline) contributes to nitrogen fixation.