Industry
Fact-checked

At AboutMechanics, we're committed to delivering accurate, trustworthy information. Our expert-authored content is rigorously fact-checked and sourced from credible authorities. Discover how we uphold the highest standards in providing you with reliable knowledge.

Learn more...

What is the Haber-Bosch Process?

Michael Anissimov
Michael Anissimov
Michael Anissimov
Michael Anissimov

Sometimes called the most important technological advance of the 20th century, the Haber-Bosch process allows the economical mass synthesis of ammonia (NH3) from nitrogen and hydrogen. It was developed a little before World War I by Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch, who were German chemists. Haber won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1918 for his discoveries, and Bosch shared a Nobel Prize with Friedrich Bergius in 1931 for his work on high-pressure chemical reactions. A German national secret at first, the chemistry and techniques behind the effective synthesis of ammonia spread to the rest of the world during the 1920s and 1930s.

High Pressure, High Temperatures

Hydrogen is used in the Haber-Bosch process to synthesize ammonia.
Hydrogen is used in the Haber-Bosch process to synthesize ammonia.

Ammonia is important because it is the primary ingredient in artificial fertilizers, without which modern agricultural yields would be impossible. Sometimes called the Haber ammonia process, the Haber-Bosch process was the first industrial chemical process to make use of extremely high pressures: 200-400 atmospheres. In addition to high pressures, the process also uses high temperatures of about 750°-1,200° Fahrenheit (about 400°-650° Celsius). The efficiency of the reaction is a function of pressure and temperature; greater yields are produced at higher pressures and lower temperatures within the necessary range.

History

Ammonia molecules, which are compounds of Nitrogen and Hydrogen, are represented by the formula NH3.
Ammonia molecules, which are compounds of Nitrogen and Hydrogen, are represented by the formula NH3.

During the first decade of the 20th century, the artificial synthesis of nitrates was being researched because of fears that the world's supply of fixed nitrogen was declining rapidly relative to the demand. Nitrogen in its inactive, atmospheric gas form is very plentiful, but agriculturally useful "fixed" nitrogen compounds were harder to come by at that time. Agricultural operations require liberal amounts of fixed nitrogen to produce good yields. At the beginning of the 20th the century, all the world's developed countries were required to mass import nitrates from the largest available source — saltpeter (NaNO3) from Chile — and many scientists were worried about the declining supply of nitrogen compounds.

High Pressure, High Temperature Ammonia, produced by the Haber-Bosch Process, is the main ingredient in synthetic fertilizers.
High Pressure, High Temperature Ammonia, produced by the Haber-Bosch Process, is the main ingredient in synthetic fertilizers.

The Haber-Bosch process provided a solution to the shortage of fixed nitrogen. Using extremely high pressures and a catalyst composed mostly of iron, critical chemicals used in both the production of fertilizers and explosives were made highly accessible to Germany, making it possible for that country to continue fighting in World War I. As the Haber-Bosch process branched out in global use, it became the primary procedure responsible for the production of chemical fertilizers.

Current Production

In the early 21st century, the Haber-Bosch process was used to produce more than 500 million tons (453 billion kilograms) of artificial fertilizer per year. About 1 percent of the world's energy was used to produce it, and it sustained about 40 percent of the Earth's population.

Michael Anissimov
Michael Anissimov

Michael is a longtime AboutMechanics contributor who specializes in topics relating to paleontology, physics, biology, astronomy, chemistry, and futurism. In addition to being an avid blogger, Michael is particularly passionate about stem cell research, regenerative medicine, and life extension therapies. He has also worked for the Methuselah Foundation, the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence, and the Lifeboat Foundation.

Learn more...
Michael Anissimov
Michael Anissimov

Michael is a longtime AboutMechanics contributor who specializes in topics relating to paleontology, physics, biology, astronomy, chemistry, and futurism. In addition to being an avid blogger, Michael is particularly passionate about stem cell research, regenerative medicine, and life extension therapies. He has also worked for the Methuselah Foundation, the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence, and the Lifeboat Foundation.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

anon128901

Far more ammonia is used mixed with other compounds. 20 percent of fertilizer in the US is just ammonia.

anon47161

This process is the many reason for rapid world population development.

anon29958

When one sees tractors in the field pulling a pressurized anhydrous ammonia bullet (which looks like a propane bullet)together with their tillage equipment this anhydrous ammonia is applied directly as a gas or as an autocooled liquid (if the equipment has a liquid kit). The ammonia gas immediately dissolves into the soil moisture and usually very little is lost to the atmosphere as a gas.

anon27552

Ammonia is a gas in its natural state (boiling point = -33 C). In fertilizers, ammonia is first turned into urea which typically used as the nitrogen source.

anon18851

How much does 1% of the world's energy translated into petroleum products?

anon14624

Ammonia is probably more frequently used in agriculture as a fertilizer in a dry form (anhydrous ammonia) by itself -- unmixed.

anon12130

it is used blended with other nutrients and fillers

anon8640

Is ammonia used on its own as as fertilizer, or in a mix?

Post your comments
Login:
Forgot password?
Register:
    • Hydrogen is used in the Haber-Bosch process to synthesize ammonia.
      By: viperagp
      Hydrogen is used in the Haber-Bosch process to synthesize ammonia.
    • Ammonia molecules, which are compounds of Nitrogen and Hydrogen, are represented by the formula NH3.
      By: molekuul.be
      Ammonia molecules, which are compounds of Nitrogen and Hydrogen, are represented by the formula NH3.
    • High Pressure, High Temperature Ammonia, produced by the Haber-Bosch Process, is the main ingredient in synthetic fertilizers.
      By: Sinisa Botas
      High Pressure, High Temperature Ammonia, produced by the Haber-Bosch Process, is the main ingredient in synthetic fertilizers.