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Ammonia Production from Air and Water If you’re passionate about global decarbonization and eager to contribute to the production of green fertilizers, you’re in the right place. As you may know, creating green fertilizers requires only water, air, and renewable electricity. But while this concept may seem revolutionary, it’s actually a modern twist on an age-old process. The first industrial production of nitric acid from atmospheric air began in 1905 with the Birkeland-Eyde process, also known as the arc process. So, how can we improve on a method that’s over a century old, especially after numerous technological revolutions? 1. Plasma Source Enhancement The first area of improvement is the plasma source. For this process, you need high-power, continuously operating plasma torches with minimal maintenance. The two viable options are microwave (MW) and inductively coupled or radio frequency (RF) plasma. Which is the better choice? In short, MW plasma is limited in power, with a maximum input of 100 kW and significantly less in plasma—typically below 50 kW. On the other hand, RF plasma is technically more feasible, offering up to 1,000 kW per unit, with several units in operation for decades across two countries. For more detailed information, refer to I. Matveev’s paper, "Inductively Coupled Plasma Facilities for Testing Thermal Protection Materials", published in IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, vol. 50, no. 6, pp. 1644-1648, June 2022. For lab-scale projects, either option could work, but be mindful of MW’s scaling limitations. 2. NOx Optimization The second improvement focuses on NOx, primarily a mixture of NO and NO2. When ionized air in the form of plasma is used, N2 and O2 react to form mostly NO. The highest NO concentration occurs inside the torch at temperatures exceeding 4,000°C. However, if released into the atmosphere, NOx compounds recombine, making subsequent steps inefficient. So how can we preserve the initial plasma concentration? By quenching the products at an ultra-high cooling rate of approximately 1,000,000 degrees Celsius or Kelvin per second. This rapid cooling is crucial for maintaining the process’s feasibility, particularly for industrial-scale equipment. The quenching reactor for the APT-100 plasma system, as shown above, is designed to maximize NO2 output by further oxidizing NO in our reactor. Plasma quenching and NO2 concentration are critical to achieving a higher yield of HNO3. 3. Final Stage: Nitric Acid Production The final stage involves bubbling NO2 through water in specialized columns, a well-known and commercially available process. Interested? Reach out, and we’ll help you get started.
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