Arctic Methane - This Does Not Sound Good...

[Ghost Dog]

47. I didn't do well in chemistry class (bad teacher, I claim) but does this make sense

and lead one to seek out further r&d opportunities?

This is simple organic chemistry, isn't it? As regards industrial processes, I don't know. But I can use my imagination...

... In the early 20th century, chemists sought eagerly for a process that could make ammonia from atmospheric nitrogen. Germans Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch succeeded where their rivals had failed. The technique they invented, the Haber-Bosch process, is now the source for much of the world's fertilizers.

Features

Plants and other living organisms need nitrogen to make protein and DNA. Atmospheric nitrogen, however, is largely inert or nonreactive. Combining atmospheric nitrogen with hydrogen (usually derived from methane) is the crucial step in fertilizer production.

Function

Methane reacts with hot steam in the presence of a catalyst to release carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas. Hydrogen gas combines with nitrogen under high pressure and temperature and in the presence of a catalyst to yield ammonia. The reaction between nitrogen and hydrogen has an unfavorable equilibrium, meaning that if left to its own devices very little ammonia would form. The increased pressure, however, helps to shift the equilibrium to increase the ammonia yield from the reaction.

Significance

According to the International Fertilizer Association, almost all nitrogen fertilizers are produced from ammonia. Common nitrogen fertilizers include ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate. Roughly 44 percent of the world's population depends on fertilizer inputs for their food.


Read more: How Is Methane Combined With Nitrogen to Make a Fertilizer? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_7014969_methane-combined-nitrogen-make-fertilizer_.html#ixzz1gRh2u0ic

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