Cellulosic bioammonia
The customer intends to develop an alternative and sustainable option to meet the nitrogen fertilizer requirements of the US agricultural industry. Currently our country consumes appr. 20 million tons of ammonia per year, and more than 50% of this product is imported from Trinidad, Russia and Canada.
A techno-economic analysis by Unitel indicated that a rural biomass-to-ammonia mini-plant should be optimally sized to consume 450 tons per day (TPD) of corn cobs to yield 150 TPD of ammonia. The biomass would be gathered from 160,000 acres on nearby farms, with the bio-ammonia serving to fertilize 500,000 surrounding acres under cultivation.
Biomass is fed into a pressurized oxygen-blown gasifier and converted into a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The tars and volatiles are partially cracked in the gasifier, the gas mixture is cleaned, the balance of the tars and volatiles are reformed, and the carbon monoxide is “shifted” to maximize hydrogen. The hydrogen is purified and catalytically reacted with nitrogen (from air) to make ammonia. An air separation system provides oxygen for the gasifier and pure nitrogen for ammonia synthesis. The process has been optimized to make use of all recoverable waste heat, thereby minimizing the need for external energy supplies.
Engagement: C, B, O. Status – ongoing.