FEEDING THE EARTH

ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND CO2 EMISSIONS

IN AMMONIA PRODUCTION

Farmers use nitrogen fertilizers to manage the fertility of their soils and provide nutrients
for their crops to grow. Nitrogen fertilizers contribute to producing close to 50% of the
food grown worldwide. However, their production is energy-intensive due to the ammonia
synthesis from which 99 per cent of all nitrogen fertilizers are derived. Some 94% of the
energy consumed by the fertilizer industry is used for ammonia synthesis and fertilizer
production consumes 1.2% of the world’s total energy on an annual basis. It is also one
of the industry’s main sources of GHG emissions. Fertilizer manufacturers are, therefore,
encouraged to adopt Best Practice Technologies (BPTs), which can allow gains of up to
30% in energy efficiency. IFA conducts energy efficiency surveys and benchmarkings to
monitor such progress and promote best practices.

The fertilizer industry can achieve continuous improvement in the

efficient use of global energy resources
Fertilizer production consumes approximately 1.2% of the world’s total energy on an annual basis.
Since ammonia production accounts for some 87% of the industry’s total energy consumption, the
fuel and feedstock used to produce ammonia are by far the main energy requirements.
For both economic and
environmental reasons, natural
gas is the primary hydrocarbon Improved energy performance
feedstock used in ammonia
synthesis (from which almost all
70
nitrogen fertilizers are derived). Plant design efficiency
Therefore, production processes 60
Average of 93 plants in 2008 IFA benchmarking
that use less natural gas per 10 best-in-class plants in 2008 IFA benchmarking
unit of ammonia output reduce
GJ/Mt of ammonia (NH3)

50 Thermodynamic limit
manufacturing costs.
Energy efficiency in the 40
36.6
manufacture of nitrogen-based
30 28-33
fertilizers has significantly
improved since the early 20th
20 20
century. Modern plants are rapidly
approaching the theoretical
10
minimum energy consumption
for ammonia production. Energy 0
1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005 2010

International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) – www.fertilizer.org December 2009

consumption per unit of product is 30% less than it was four decades ago, and the best performers
are approaching the thermodynamic limit of minimum energy use. Nevertheless, a number of
plants are not yet equipped with the most advanced technologies, suggesting that global energy
consumption in the industry could be significantly reduced through the adoption of new technology
in the coming decades.

IFA conducts energy benchmarking surveys

To assess this potential, the International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) periodically conducts
an industry-wide benchmarking survey which is used to estimate energy efficiency in the ammonia
sector. This survey is designed to improve IFA producers’ knowledge of plant performance; to
assist operators in assessing plant efficiency relative to industry averages; and to help identify
opportunities for continual improvement. The results are also valuable to policy makers, as they
can serve as a basis for well-adapted policy analysis and implementation.
The survey gathers information on participating plants’ average net energy efficiency during the
year, based on the following calculation:

Net Energy Efficiency = Feed + Fuel + Other Energy / NH3 Production

Energy includes that required to produce ammonia, as well as that used in operations, e.g. startups,
shutdowns and catalyst reductions. Offsite emissions related to energy imports were also calculated
in order to reflect operations’ overall energy and environmental footprint more accurately.
On an annual basis, plants generally do not operate at their design energy efficiencies, which are
based on continuous operation with equipment and catalysts in good condition. During certain
years, they may operate at energy efficiencies approaching this level. However, energy use in plants
with frequent outages, inefficient equipment or poor catalyst activity is much higher. Along with
inherent differences in plant design energy efficiencies, this accounts for the wide variations in the
efficiency of energy use in different plants.
Due to the variety of manufacturing methods and raw materials, no single process can be identified
as a Best Practice Technology (BPT) for ammonia production. Except in China (which uses coal for
almost all ammonia production), natural gas is a raw material for the vast majority of the ammonia
produced worldwide.

Summary of the findings of the 2008 benchmarking survey

The 2008 IFA benchmarking survey included participation by 93 plants located in 33 countries,
representing approximately one quarter (40 million tonnes) of total world ammonia production.
Average net energy efficiency in the 93 ammonia plants surveyed in 2008 was 36.6 GJ/mt NH3
(ranging from 27.0 to 58.2 GJ/mt NH3). The top quartile performed in the range of 28 to 33 GJ/
mt NH3. These figures are comparable to theoretical design efficiencies and are near the optimum
efficiency level, for a new plant, of approximately 28-29 GJ/mt.
Overall, a plant built today uses some 30% less energy per tonne of ammonia produced than
one constructed 40 years ago. Technological advances have accompanied economic changes, and
restructuring has rewarded more efficient producers. In Europe and North America, where energy
costs are high, average energy consumption has been drastically reduced through the revamping or
closing of inefficient plants. Energy costs have also led to the construction of new state-of-the-art

2 International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA)

units in regions including North Africa and the Middle East, where
there are abundant supplies of affordable natural gas. A historical perspective on
ammonia synthesis
The move towards higher capacity plants has helped to implement
more efficient technologies. Capacity upgrades offer a cost-effective Unlike other nutrients, mineral sources of
opportunity to install better performing technology. Comparisons nitrogen for fertilization have been rare
of current performance against Best Practice Technologies (BPTs) and largely unavailable on a global scale.
indicate that there is still room for improvement. The BPT energy For this reason, nitrogen remained the
requirement for the top ten percentile natural gas-based ammonia single most important limiting factor for
production facilities operating today is 32 GJ per tonne of crop production and stable food supplies
ammonia (net energy consumption). This suggests that revamping until well into the 20th century. In Ger-
less efficient existing plants would increase energy efficiency and many, Fritz Haber began investigating how
decrease CO2 emissions by some 10%. The cost would be significant, to combine nitrogen from the atmosphere
sometimes exceeding USD 20 million per site. with hydrogen to form ammonia. In 1909,
Shifting production from poorly performing plants to new he discovered how to synthesize ammonia
production sites with Best Available Technologies (BATs) would from air under high pressure and tem-
improve overall energy efficiency by up to 25%, with a corresponding peratures, which led him to receive the
decrease in GHG emissions of about 30%. But this is a long-term 1918 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Carl Bosch
scenario, stretching over decades. subsequently made the breakthroughs
necessary to bring the process to an in-
Finally, per tonne of ammonia the energy requirement for coal- dustrial scale, thus ushering in the modern
based plants is significantly higher than that for natural gas-fired nitrogen fertilizer industry. In 1931, Bosch
facilities. A coal-based unit also produces roughly 2.4 times more was the Nobel Chemistry Laureate for this
CO2 per tonne of ammonia than a natural gas-based unit. accomplishment. Industrial nitrogen fixa-
In view of the availability and relative costs of energy sources in tion is the only achievement to date to be
different regions, and the policy imperative in China to achieve food recognized by two separate Nobel Prizes.
security through ensuring domestic fertilizer supply, coal-based
ammonia synthesis is expected to increase in coming years. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) could
be an important means of minimizing emissions from coal-based production.

Responsibility of the fertilizer industry

• Enable and promote further technological advancements that will reduce energy consumption.
• Disseminate these technologies worldwide.

Recommendations to governments and multi-lateral organizations:

• Foster an enabling environment for investment in cleaner, more efficient production

technologies through financial incentives and stable, long-term environmental policy.
• Facilitate the adoption of BATs through such initiatives as the creation of parallel funding
for technology transfer to the developing world, capacity building, and the use of new
market mechanisms such as carbon financing (i.e. Clean Development Mechanism, Joint
Implementation).

www.fertilizer.org December 2009 3

What are Best Available Technologies or Techniques (BATs)?
The term “Best Available Techniques” is defined in the European Directive on Integrated Pollution
Prevention and Control (IPPC) as “the most effective and advanced stage in the development
of activities and their methods of operation which indicate the practical suitability of particular
techniques for providing in principle the basis for emission limit values designed to prevent and,
where that is not practicable, generally to reduce emissions and the impact on the environment
as a whole.” (96/61/EC).
The overall aim of such an integrated approach is to improve the management and control of
industrial processes so as to ensure a high level of protection for the environment. Central to
this approach is the general principle that operators should take all appropriate preventative
measures against pollution, specifically through the application of best available techniques (BAT)
enabling them to improve their environmental performance.
“Best” means most effective in achieving a high general level of protection of the environment
as a whole.
“Techniques” includes both the technology used and the way in which the installation is designed,
built, maintained, operated and decommissioned;
“Available” techniques are those developed on a scale which allows implementation in the
relevant industrial sector, under economically and technically viable conditions, taking into
consideration the costs and advantages as long as they are reasonably accessible to the operator.

Table. Comparison of Best Available Technology processes for ammonia production

Energy CO2 emissions

Energy source Process GJ/t ammonia t/t ammonia GHG index*
Natural gas Steam reforming 28 1.6 100
Naphtha Steam reforming 35 2.5 153
Heavy fuel oil Partial oxidation 38 3.0 188
Coal Partial oxidation 42 3.8 238
*
Using natural gas as the reference, this index shows the relative carbon intensity of different energy sources.
Source: Prince, A. (2007) “Initiating New Projects in the Ammonia Sector.” Presented at the IFA Technical Committee Meeting, Workshop on Energy
Efficiency and CO2 Reduction Prospects in Ammonia Production, 12-14 March 2007, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Published online at www.fertilizer.org.

IFA Technical Committee

The IFA Technical Committee encourages the development and adoption of technology improvements that lead
to greater production efficiencies and reduced emissions and discharges, as well as better health and safety
standards throughout the fertilizer industry. The Committee’s mission is to actively promote the development
of efficient, responsible production, storage and transportation of all plant nutrients in a sustainable manner.
For more information: www.fertilizer.org/ifa/Home-Page/ABOUT-IFA/IFA-s-structure/IFA-s-committees#Tech

Feeding the Earth represents a series of issue briefs produced by the International Fertilizer Industry Association
to provide current information on the role of fertilizers in sustainable agriculture and food production.

International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) - 28 rue Marbeuf, 75008 Paris, France
For further information contact: Morgane Danielou, Director Information and Communications Service
Tel: +33 1 53 93 05 00 - Fax: +33 1 53 93 05 45 - [email protected] - www.fertilizer.org