Sustainable Nitrogen Fertilizer
Sustainable Nitrogen Fertilizer Bryon Parman1, 2, Ronald Michalsky3, 4, Vincent Amanor-Boadu2, Peter H. Pfromm4, 1
IGERT trainee in biorefining, 2 Department of Agricultural Economics, 2 IGERT associate in biorefining, 4 Department of Chemical Engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
About 50% of the global food supply depends on ammonia (NH3) fertilizer that is synthesized industrially (about 130 million tons/year) with 5% of the global natural gas production.
Natural 0.6 gas price ($ per ton) 0.3
This work proposes ammonia production from sunlight, water and air and analyzes its technical (experimental reaction yield and kinetics studies) and economic feasibility (mass and energy balance based process modeling and net present value analysis).
0
Motivation and impact • •
600 NH3 price ($ per ton)
USGS, EIA data
300
0
1970 1990 2010 year
Experimental
about 1.0 ton natural gas per ton NH3
Fossil Fuel CH4 air H2O
H2
N2
NH3 O2-
NH3
H2O N3Mo3+
Solar energy
1200 °C concentrated solar radiation
sun air
NH3 1 atm synthesis
Reactor
Gas out 0.00
500 °C
0
O2
30
60
time (min) Total plant costs (ideal case, in % of 0.55 million $)
Net present value 50 (million $)
2% increased NH3 sales price
0
versus
0.10 0.05
Economic analysis
Solar-thermal
Yield NH3 (mol%)
0.15
Mo4+ 300 atm synthesis
about 1.8 ton water per ton NH3
H2O
H2O
0.20
Gas in
-50
Production capacity -100 (tons NH3 per day)
at current NH3 market price 0
900
Variable (1) Reactors (34)
Heliostats (40)
Auxiliaries (25)
1,800
Conclusions and Outlook
Acknowledgments
This material is based upon work supported by National Science Foundation Grant # 0903701: “Integrating the Socioeconomic, Technical, and Agricultural Aspects of Renewable and Sustainable Biorefining Program, awarded to Kansas State University.” Funding by the Center for Sustainable Energy, Kansas State University is kindly acknowledged.
The process is technical feasible with a molybdenum reactant. To increase the 13 mol% yield of NH3 and the 25 mol% nitride yield further work optimizing the reactant composition is needed. Under conservative assumptions the process may sell NH3 for 534 $ per ton (i.e., near the current market price), producing at a capacity between 160 to 900 tons NH3 per day at optimum. (5)
IGERT trainee in biorefining, 2 Department of Agricultural Economics, 2 IGERT associate in biorefining, 4 Department of Chemical Engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
About 50% of the global food supply depends on ammonia (NH3) fertilizer that is synthesized industrially (about 130 million tons/year) with 5% of the global natural gas production.
Natural 0.6 gas price ($ per ton) 0.3
This work proposes ammonia production from sunlight, water and air and analyzes its technical (experimental reaction yield and kinetics studies) and economic feasibility (mass and energy balance based process modeling and net present value analysis).
0
Motivation and impact • •
600 NH3 price ($ per ton)
USGS, EIA data
300
0
1970 1990 2010 year
Experimental
about 1.0 ton natural gas per ton NH3
Fossil Fuel CH4 air H2O
H2
N2
NH3 O2-
NH3
H2O N3Mo3+
Solar energy
1200 °C concentrated solar radiation
sun air
NH3 1 atm synthesis
Reactor
Gas out 0.00
500 °C
0
O2
30
60
time (min) Total plant costs (ideal case, in % of 0.55 million $)
Net present value 50 (million $)
2% increased NH3 sales price
0
versus
0.10 0.05
Economic analysis
Solar-thermal
Yield NH3 (mol%)
0.15
Mo4+ 300 atm synthesis
about 1.8 ton water per ton NH3
H2O
H2O
0.20
Gas in
-50
Production capacity -100 (tons NH3 per day)
at current NH3 market price 0
900
Variable (1) Reactors (34)
Heliostats (40)
Auxiliaries (25)
1,800
Conclusions and Outlook
Acknowledgments
This material is based upon work supported by National Science Foundation Grant # 0903701: “Integrating the Socioeconomic, Technical, and Agricultural Aspects of Renewable and Sustainable Biorefining Program, awarded to Kansas State University.” Funding by the Center for Sustainable Energy, Kansas State University is kindly acknowledged.
The process is technical feasible with a molybdenum reactant. To increase the 13 mol% yield of NH3 and the 25 mol% nitride yield further work optimizing the reactant composition is needed. Under conservative assumptions the process may sell NH3 for 534 $ per ton (i.e., near the current market price), producing at a capacity between 160 to 900 tons NH3 per day at optimum. (5)
