Comments on: A Fast Way Out of Using Gasoline

By: jimw

jimw — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 19:47:10 +0000

update,, GreenNH3 makes fuel today for 27 cents a litre. about $1 a gallon, and uses it in dozens of engines and fuel cells.

By: colon cleansing

colon cleansing — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 12:12:33 +0000

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By: Neal Rauhauser

Neal Rauhauser — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:35:42 +0000

The $3/gallon gas v. ammonia pricing is a bit sketchy – depends on what ammonia prices are. Our feeling is that ‘s more like a $6/gallon diesel price where the cross point occurs, if things remain sensible in the natural gas market.

Methamphetamine production depends more on ephedrine availability than the ammonia and they lock that down a bit more each year. A tiny bit of calcium nitrate in the overall mixture pretty much wrecks methamphetamine yields – goes from 99% down to a few percent. That ruins the economy of it for the home cookers.

SSAS is on the bench and needs to be brought to pilot phase. Haber Bosch is the only production method at this time.

Most of the world’s ammonia (70%) is made with natural gas, the rest in coal fired facilities, and there are a few oddballs. Dakota Gassification uses coal but resells their CO2 for oil field pressurization. Kwekwe, Zimbabwe, hosts the largest surviving renewable ammonia facility, a 250,000 ton per year operation that limps along at 20% capacity due to parts & power issues.

Number one problem with hydrogen is transport – it’s molecular Houdini, sneaking through plastics and metals, and it explodes and/or burns far too easily. Ammonia we already transport in a 3,100 mile national pipeline network, hydrogen pipelines are highly specialized and only found in refineries and such.

I could go on a good while about this – Google “National Renewable Ammonia Architecture” and you’ll find a lengthy presentation on my thoughts in this area.

By: BB

BB — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 23:37:44 +0000

I have been around ammonia for 48 years, 39 of these have been in the industrial refrigeration industry. I currently handle 64,000 lbs. on a daily bases. NH3 is flammable at 15% to 25% by volume in normal atmosphere. By experience, most people can sense NH3 odor at 2PPM. NH3 at 25PPM is the first 24 hour-long-term-exposure limit; eyes water, nose runs, and most people are leaving the area long before 24 hours are up. However at this point, it causes no ill effects other than those listed above, unless you spend more than 24 hours in it, at this level. NH3 gives a very long forwarning of its presence before there are harmful effects to the body. This makes it safer to use than other odorless, colorless, flammable gases used in industry. NH3 at 300PPM is where OSHA has set Immediate Danger to Life & Health. This is the point one would enter the NH3 atmosphere, using an Self Contained Breathing Apparatus with full-face mask.

As for the methamphetamine connection, ammonia is not the only chemical required for the manufacture of methamphetamines. There is a chemical in a behind-the-counter drug which is a requirement for making the drug. However, there is only one manufacturer of this chemical in the entire world. If manufacturing of this chemical were shutdown, there would not be methamphetamine.

NH3 makes good sense as a fuel, but there are some things to condsider. Standard Operating Procedures for the filling of vehicles, should be done by trained filling-station attendants. These bulk NH3 stations would be similar to our current gas stations, but with properly trained and certified personnel. This would solve the problem of handling NH3 while fueling vehicles.
BB

By: J Paige Straley

J Paige Straley — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:03:17 +0000

A second thought about NH3. Use urea (NH2-CO-NH2) as the carrier, react it with water mediated by urease enzyme (or engineered equivalent), and get two mols of NH3 and one mol of CO2. Still generates CO2, but the C:H ratio is now 1:6 instead of 1:4 of methane.

For combustion of NH3, the chemical kinetics favor formation of N2 over oxides of N.

JPS

By: J Paige Straley

J Paige Straley — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:55:57 +0000

Anhydrous NH3 can be instantly fatal, if breathed at over about 3000 ppm. Long term exposure limits are pretty low. You notice the odor at about 5 ppm.

Its true that farmers have used anhydrous for years as N fertiliser. You can smell it from the highway!

NH3 will explode though it has a narrow band between upper & lower explosive limits. NH3 chillers have experienced industrial accidents…boom!

JPS

By: ks

ks — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:26:18 +0000

Great post. This process would appear to address more than one concern – in additional to being one of many “silver bb’s” for the liquid fuels issue, it should also be counted as a response to worries about peak fertilizer.

re: your pic – is it labelled correctly? no carbon right?