Without the Haber-Bosch process, we would only be able to produce around two-thirds the amount of food we do today!
Haber was among the first Industrial chemists to be able to synthesize ammonia in a high-pressure reactor giving a yield of 15%.
However, the process needed to be scaled up and there were 3 major challenges in front of Carl Bosch from BASF who was assigned this task.
1. Raw Material Supply: The first challenge was securing a cost-effective supply of hydrogen and nitrogen, essential raw materials for the Haber-Bosch process.
2. Catalyst Development: Another crucial problem involved developing catalysts that were both effective and stable to facilitate ammonia synthesis efficiently.
3. High-Pressure Reactor Design: The construction of the necessary apparatus for the process was identified as the third major challenge that needed resolution before establishing a plant for the synthesis of ammonia.
Alongside Carl, his assistant, chemist Alwin Mittasch, did some 20,000 experiments to perfect a mixed catalyst based on iron oxide. It was the first of its kind and performed as well as osmium and uranium, and was readily available and cheap.
For hydrogen supply, they opted and improved the water-gas shift reaction.
Bosch's pivotal achievement in the Haber-Bosch process lay in overcoming the challenges of high-pressure chemistry by designing a robust reactor.
Amidst the infancy of this field, existing equipment fell short, necessitating Bosch's remodeling of Haber's original design. Approximately 24 of these redesigned reactors ran incessantly during the catalyst search, offering crucial insights.
Bosch's success in creating a reliable reactor marked a turning point in the synthesis of ammonia, addressing a critical obstacle and laying the foundation for large-scale applications.
The first plant to use the Haber-Bosch process at the industrial scale started up at BASF Oppau in 1913. Nearly 100 years on nothing much has changed, and the process is still used around the world.
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Wishing Navin fluorine engineer’s as well other like minded engineers across the globe a very Happy Engineer’s day.