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CSIRO: new progress in ammonia energy

Australia’s national research organisation CSIRO is contributing valuable R&D across the hydrogen and ammonia value chains. At Ammonia Energy APAC 2023, we’ll hear updates on some key ammonia energy projects at CSIRO: small-scale production, combustion engines, and fuel cells, as well as an ongoing partnership with Fortescue Future Industries to develop & deploy metal membrane technology for ammonia cracking systems.

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Small-scale CCS ammonia in Japan

INPEX has selected Tsubame BHB and Air Liquide as technology providers for the demonstration project, which will utilise autothermal reforming technology and CCS in depleted gas fields to produce around 500 tonnes of ammonia per year. JOGMEC and NEDO are also supporting the project, with the goal of gaining operational experience with CCS in Japan.

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USDA to fund fertilizer production expansion

The US Department of Agriculture is looking to support small-scale, distributed ammonia & fertilizer production in the US via a new funding program. The Fertilizer Production Expansion Fund aims to help US farmers secure access to cheap, lower-emissions fertilizer, as well as shielding the agricultural industry from price shocks. New & existing projects will be funded to spur competition, with the focus on smaller players.

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Production technology updates: from mega-scale to distributed ammonia

Recently, KBR launched its Ammonia 10,000 technology for newbuild ammonia plants, tripling the largest available single train capacity to 10,000 metric tonnes per day. In our latest Technology Insights article, we explore the other pieces of the puzzle required for mega-scale ammonia, as well as some updates from the other end of the spectrum, with three distributed, small-scale ammonia synthesis systems under development in North America.

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Electrifying ammonia production using four metric tons per day (4 MTPD) Independent Ammonia Making Machine (IAMM™) units

Anhydrous ammonia price reached a historical high up to $1,700/short ton NH3 in mid-2022. In the meantime, Europe has shut down ammonia production at a capacity of over 3 million tonnes per year due to limited supply and the high cost of natural gas. AmmPower pioneers the development of the Independent Ammonia Making Machine (IAMM™) units, which allow decentralized production of green ammonia at a capacity of 4 MTPD using renewable electricity. The compact and modular IAMM™ units have multiple configurations, including electrolyzer and ammonia storage options. AmmPower delivers IAMM™ units at a low lump sum cost and a short…

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Demonstration Project for a Green Chemical Plant using Large-scale Alkaline Water Electrolysis

To achieve the carbon neutrality target set to be accomplished by 2050, hydrogen will play an important role in many sectors such as power, transportation, and industrial applications. Especially in the chemicals and fertilizers sectors, green ammonia, made by utilizing renewable energy as a feed stock, is expected to be materialized, and is also being considered as a hydrogen carrier with the advantage of easier transportation and handling than the hydrogen itself. Hence, in the near future, green chemical production facilities which are fed with hydrogen produced through the use of renewable energy will be installed instead of the conventional…

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Proton Ventures partners with UM6P for renewable ammonia demonstration plant in Morocco

Proton Ventures and the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University have signed an agreement to construct a demonstration-sized ammonia production plant at OCP’s existing manufacturing complex in Jorf Lasfar. The 4 tonne per day plant will be powered via an electrical load emulator, simulating the profiles of wind and solar generation at different geographical sites. The facility will act as a “reference unit” and “living laboratory”, allowing scale-up to larger industrial projects, further R&D and training for the future ammonia workforce.

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Ammonia production from waste: Nigerian R&D acquired by Hydrofuel

Canada-based Hydrofuel has announced the acquisition of Lumos Laboratories, a Nigerian R&D organisation that has developed technology to convert urine to a hydrogen-rich, flammable gas mixture. The production of hydrogen, ammonia, fertilisers, cooking/heating fuels and electricity generation from Lumos technologies presents an opportunity to improve sanitation & reduce reliance on solid fuels for cooking and heating, and fossil fuels for electricity generation. Under the terms of the acquisition, Hydrofuel will support the commercialisation of this technology.

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Optimizing absorption to improve Haber-Bosch synthesis

Ammonia absorber columns offer an alternative separation unit to replace condensation in the Haber-Bosch synthesis loop. Metal halide salts can selectively separate ammonia from the reactor outlet gas mixture and incorporate it into their crystal lattice with remarkably high thermodynamic capacity. While the salts’ working capacity can be limited and unstable when they are in their pure form, the capacity is stable and can be high when using a porous silica support. Here, we discuss optimal conditions for uptake and release of ammonia. The production capacity (ammonia processed per unit absorbent and per unit production time) depends on processing parameters…

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Next Generation Technology Integration Platform for Low- and Zero-Carbon Ammonia Production and Utilization

RTI International and its partners are developing a Technology Integration Platform (TIP) to demonstrate next-generation technologies for ammonia (NH3) production and utilization in a modular testbed as part of U.S. Department of Energy ARPA-E’s REFUEL+IT program. The objective of this effort will be to demonstrate the use of NH3 for long duration energy storage, as a fuel, and a hydrogen (H2) carrier.  The TIP, which will be housed at the University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center’s operational hybrid wind and solar test site, will integrate several breakthrough technologies developed in the REFUEL program to demonstrate an advanced…