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Green ammoniaPowering the energy transition
Green hydrogen has been praised as the holy grail for a sustainable industry. But: There is another molecule that might get even more important than H2 in the short- and mid-term to make the energy transition happen. We are talking about NH3, or ammonia, the hidden star for generating CO2-free energy.
Ammonia: Between industry and the energy transition
Today, about 80% of the 170 million metric tons of ammonia produced annually worldwide is used as a basic chemical for fertilizers. Only 20% is used for other technical applications. In the coming years, however, demand for ammonia will shift dramatically toward new markets: energy generation and transportation. This is because ammonia is the most cost-effective liquid energy carrier for long-term storage, easy to ship globally, and a viable marine fuel.
We spoke with our experts from thyssenkrupp Uhde to learn more about green ammonia and its promising role in the global energy transition.
Cutting-edge technology meets 100 years of history
The construction of ammonia plants and the continuous development of new technologies are deeply rooted in the corporate DNA of thyssenkrupp Uhde. Today, the company can build plants with capacities of up to 5,000 metric tons per day (mtpd). In combination with water electrolysis, these plants can even produce CO2-free “green ammonia.”
thyssenkrupp Uhde’s first ammonia plant began operations in 1928 on a coal mine site in Herne. It marked the beginning of a nearly 100-year history in ammonia plant construction.
"While in the past most ammonia plants used natural gas as a feedstock, today all signs point to green ammonia," explains Thore Lohmann, Head of Transformation Management at thyssenkrupp Uhde. “The increasing deployment of renewable energy applications, reduced electricity costs, the introduction of CO2 taxes, and potential subsidies for green ammonia technology are drastically shifting today’s market drivers toward green ammonia applications.” To meet these future requirements and cater to different markets, thyssenkrupp has already developed fully standardized and modular green ammonia plant concepts.
We are currently working on modularization and standardization concepts for even larger green ammonia plants. But even today, we are the only technology provider on the market that offers green ammonia plants as turnkey solutions from a single source, with a capacity range of 50 to 5,000 metric tons per day. In addition, we are focusing our R&D efforts on ammonia cracking technology, as this will determine the future success of green ammonia in the global clean energy market.
thyssenkrupp Uhde offers technologies for green ammonia plants with production capacities ranging from 50 to 5,000 metric tons per day.
Clean energy from green ammonia
One of the most promising applications of green ammonia is its use as a sustainable energy carrier, experts explain. “Ammonia can be produced from the elements hydrogen and nitrogen found in the air and, when needed, broken down into its components again using a so-called cracker. For example, ammonia can be shipped from Australia to Japan and used there either directly to generate electricity or cracked back into hydrogen for industrial applications.”
Ammonia can also be burned directly, for example, in gas turbines or ship engines. Due to its flexible applications, ammonia is an ideal green energy molecule.
Compared to hydrogen, ammonia has a higher energy density, making it easy to transport and simple to store.
This makes green ammonia an ideal liquid energy carrier for transporting “green hydrogen” produced from renewable energy sources over long distances. This is because, compared to pure hydrogen, ammonia has a higher energy density, making it more energy-efficient and cost-effective to store and transport. Ammonia is also already a globally traded product with an established transportation infrastructure, offering enormous potential for a global green energy economy and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.