Historical Development of Haber-Bosch Process

The synthesis of ammonia was the first large-scale synthesis in the chemical industry to work at high pressure, and the first process that was systematically developed based on chemical engineering concepts. We start with an overview of the history of the synthesis, from successful experiments in the laboratory to the start-up of the first industrial plant. For readers interested in details we refer to Appl (1999), Bakemeier et al. (1997), and Timm (1963). 

In the nineteenth century, the Industrial Revolution and the closely connected growth of the population generated a large demand for nitrogen fertilizers and (unfortunately) also of gunpowder ingredients, but the (natural) resources were at that time very limited  

Around the turn to the twentieth century it was recognized that these supplies would soon be insufficient for agricultural needs. Moreover, the explosives industry was developing due to the eve of the First World War. 

Chemical Technology An Integral Textbook, First Edition. Andreas Jess and Peter Wasserscheid. 

In July 1908, Haber convinced representatives of the BASF Badische Anilin cl Soda Fabrik), namely, Carl Bosch and Alwin Mittasch (see box), by a successfid demonstration in his laboratory to support his work. During this performance, a production rate of 80g-NH3h was reached with an osmium catalyst. In an unprecedented achievement, Bosch and his team succeeded in developing a commercial process, and the first plant started in 1913, with a capacity of 1.251 of NH3 per hour, that is, within five years a scale-up factor of 15 000 was reached. 

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