Fertilizer liquid ammonia

Ammonia is one of the most important inorganic chemicals, exceeded only by sulfuric acid and lime. This colorless gas has an irritating odor, and is very soluble in water, forming a weakly basic solution. Ammonia could be easily liquefied under pressure (liquid ammonia), and it is an important refrigerant. Anhydrous ammonia is a fertilizer by direct application to the soil. Ammonia is obtained by the reaction of hydrogen and atmospheric nitrogen, the synthesis gas for ammonia. The 1994 U.S. ammonia production was approximately 40 billion pounds (sixth highest volume chemical). 

Ammonia synthesis is the second largest chemical process, after the production of sulfuric acid (see also Chapter 1). It accounts for about 1 % of the total human-related energy consumption. Roughly 80 % of the ammonia produced is used for fertilizers (either as liquid ammonia or as more easily handled salts such as ammonium nitrate, ammonium phosphate, etc.) and, as such, ammonia synthesis is indispensable for our society. Other applications of ammonia are nitrogen-containing... 

The single largest use of ammonia is its direct apphcation as fertdizer, and in the manufacture of ammonium fertilizers that have increased world food production dramatically. Such ammonia-based fertilizers are now the primary source of nitrogen in farm soils. Ammonia also is used in the manufacture of nitric acid, synthetic fibers, plastics, explosives and miscellaneous ammonium salts. Liquid ammonia is used as a solvent for many inorganic reactions in non-aqueous phase. Other apphcations include synthesis of amines and imines as a fluid for supercritical fluid extraction and chromatography and as a reference standard in i N-NMR. 

Another application of tumblers is to the manufacture of mixed fertilizers, in which solid ammonium nitrate, liquid ammonia, liquid phosphoric acid, and liquid sulfuric acid are charged separately and reacted. The incidental agglomeration is excessive, however, and the process must be followed by appropriate crushing and size classification. 

Uses of ammonia. The various uses of ammonia include the use of the compound both as such and in the form of other compounds made from ammonia. In the liquid state, much ammonia is used as the refrigerant liquid in commercial refrigeration plants and in the manufacture of ice. Some liquid ammonia is used both in the laboratory and commercially as a solvent, and its solvent properties are in many respects similar to those of water. Great quantities of ammonia are used in the manufacture of nitric acid, sodium hydrogen carbonate, normal sodium carbonate, aqueous ammonia (or ammonium hydroxide), ammonium salts for use as fertilizers, and many other useful chemicals. 

The most common and important nitrogen-hydrogen compound is ammonia. Because liquid ammonia is a commonly used nonaqueous solvent, it was discussed in Section 5.2.3 and its properties are listed in Table 5.5. Approximately 22 billion pounds of NH3 are used annually, mostly as fertilizer or as the starting material for preparing nitric acid. The Haber process is used for the synthesis of NH3 from the elements ... 

For years, the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) industry has used pressurized underground liquefied gas storage. This technique has been applied to ammonia also. DuPont has operated a rock cavern in the United States with a capacity of 20 0001. Norsk Hydro has one in Norway at 50 000 t. Because of the contaminants occurring in liquid ammonia stored this way and the lack of suitable construction sites, no further storage facilities of this kind have been built for a long time. Underground fertilizer ammonia storage was planned in Russia [1310]. 

The distribution in rail cars (capacities normally up to 100 m3 Jumbo rail cars 150 m3) and trucks primarily serves to supply smaller processing operations and wholesale merchants. However, rail transport of liquid ammonia may to some extent supplement large marine and pipeline shipments. Reference [1318] examines rail freight cost. Normally, shipping liquid ammonia by truck is used only where other means of transport are not available, e.g., in the agricultural practice of direct fertilization. 

The chemistry of ammonia and the ammonium ion is vast ammonia is of immense industrial importance and is produced in larger molar quantities than any other chemical. More than 80% of the ammonia produced is used in fertilizers, with additional uses including the synthesis of explosives, the manufacture of synthetic fibers (such as rayon, nylon, and polyurethanes), and the synthesis of a wide variety of organic and inorganic compounds. As described in Chapter 6, liquid ammonia is used extensively as a nonaqueous ionizing solvent. 

In spreading liquid ammonia fertilizer, the charges for the amount of NH3 are based on the time involved plus the pounds of NH3 injected into the soil. After the liquid has been spread, there is still some ammonia left in the source tank (volume =120 ft ), but in the form of a gas. Suppose that your weight tally, which is obtained by difference, shows a net weight of 125 lb of NH3 left in the tank as a gas at 292 psig. Because the tank is sitting in the sun, the temperature in the tank is 125°F. 

Liquid ammonia from the low-pressure separator will give an analysis of 99.5+% ammonia. This product is stored in refrigerated, insulated storage tanks. A large volume of ammonia storage capacity is necessary because its major market - fertilizer production - is seasonal. For shipment, the ammonia is fed from storage to insulated tank trucks, tank cars, or barges for delivery. 

Ammonia is also used commercially in the manufacture of fertilizers, mainly ammonium nitrate, urea, and ammonium sulfate. It is used to a smaller extent in the refrigeration industry. Liquid ammonia is an excellent solvent for certain substances, which ionize in the solutions to give ionic reactions similar to those occurring in aqueous solutions. Ammonia is marketed... 

In Malaysia, this term includes anhydrous ammonia, ammoniating solutions, liquid mixed fertilizer solutions, suspensions, and slurries. The principal materials used in making liquid fertilizer are ammonia, ammonium nitrate, urea, phosphoric add, and potassium chlorideT... 

In May 1915 Duisberg invited Fischer to see the new saltpetre factory. At that time Fischer was still a member of the commission for saltpetre in the war ministry. Rathenau had left in April and Haber, who was still head of the war chemical department, had mostly other interests. The discussions and negotiations about the increase of saltpetre production lasted the whole of 1915 and into the first months of 1916. At the end of 1915 the construction of a big ammonia plant at Merseburg was decided on, and building was started in May 1916. The first tank car with liquid ammonia left Leuna in April 1917. With the production capacity of this plant and the other ammonia producing factories as well as that of the newly built oxidation plants for nitrates, the problem of munitions supplies for the army was solved. This could be achieved only by reduction of artificial fertilizer deliveries to farmers, resulting in a very bad provision of food to the civilian population. 

Some farmers use ammonia, NH3, as a fertilizer. This ammonia is stored in liquid form. Use the particulate perspective to show the transition from liquid ammonia to gaseous ammonia. 

The accident occurred at Ae chemical plant Azot, which produces mainly fertilizers. This plant is situated about 5 km northeast of the town of lonava. A 10,000-ton-capacity tank containing 7,000 tons of refrigerated ammonia at its boiling point (-33 ) split without warning. The rupture was caused by an erroneous filling of the tank with relatively warm (+10°C) liquid ammonia, which formed a layer at the base of the tank. The warm ammonia then suddenly rose to the surface and evaporated, and the pressure rise overwhelmed the relief valves. 

The liquid ammonia released formed a pool that was 70 cm deep in places. According to the chemical plant itself, about 1,400 tons of the spilled liquid ammonia evaporated. The pool caught fire, and the fire spread to a fertilizer store containing 15,000 tons of NPK till-11. It was theoretically estimated that a further 700 tons of ammonia was released into the environment due to the self-sustaining thermal decomposition of this material (Lithuanian State Committee for Environmental Protection, 1989). Substantial amounts of nitrogen oxides were also released from the fire. Seven people were killed, 57 injured, and about 32,000 evacuated in the course of the accident. 

Figure 15.5 Liquid ammonia, produced by the Haber process, can be added directly to the soil as a fertilizer. Agricuiturai use is the iargest singie appiication of manufactured NH3. 

The largest ammonia storage facilities are located as part of ammonia producing plants, or at large distribution centers or terminals. A large number of smaller storage tanks are typically operated by ammonia distribution companies and thousands of small tanks are used in distribution and local storage. In Denmark where the use of liquid ammonia as a direct application fertilizer is wide spread, there are on the order of 10000 small tanks [20]. 

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