A pilot plant for green ammonia production
Spotted: A century ago, a growing population pushed farmers to grow crops faster than nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil could keep up, and supplies of natural nitrates began to run out. In response, Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch developed a process to react hydrogen and atmospheric nitrogen under pressure to make ammonia for use as fertiliser. But in solving one problem, they caused another one – making ammonia in this way takes a lot of energy. Now, a new process for making green ammonia may once again come to the rescue.
Dutch company Proton Ventures, the Institute Research Energy Solar et Energy Nouvelles (IRESEN), and Morocco’s Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) have signed an agreement to build a demonstration-sized green ammonia facility at the OCP Group chemical complex in Jorf Lasfar, Morocco. The plant will be capable of producing 4 tonnes of ammonia per day, powered using an electrical load emulator that simulates the profiles of wind and solar generation at different geographical sites.
The partners say the facility will act as a ‘world reference unit’ and the trial results will be used to develop large-scale industrial projects that use renewable energy to generate ammonia. The partner organisations hope that the project will allow them to develop expertise, conduct training, and acquire data covering a range of scenarios and operation and maintenance configurations. The hope is that this will enable future green molecule production plants.
Mohammed Bousseta, Director of Innovate for Industry at UM6P explains that the plant will “constitute a living laboratory available to UM6P Researchers, Doctoral Students and Professors for research and education in the fields of hydrogen and green ammonia [as well as] a pilot for training and feasibility studies for a large industrial unit of Green Ammonia.”
The promise of ammonia as a future green fuel can be seen in the variety of recent innovations covered by Springwise. These include a generator that runs on both hydrogen and ammonia fuel and a zero-emission ammonia fuel used to power heavy machinery.
Written By: Lisa Magloff
The intervention is, on the one hand, a manifesto of cutting-edge technology aimed at increasing productivity according to a sustainable business model. Meanwhile, on the other, this is an architecture of social commitment to promote the professional growth of the local community by leveraging constant training and innovative work experiences.
Also at the back, a system of suspended paths, immersed in nature, connects to the building that houses services for employees, such as the gym and the inevitable “churrasqueira.” The working environment is a bit like a home, where it is also pleasant to spend moments of relaxation and socializing.
In general, the use of natural ventilation is possible for two thirds of the year, thanks to openable facade elements and the integration of mobile openings in the atrium patio that transform it into a giant “ventilation chimney”. The production area, thanks to the combination of thermal mass and natural ventilation, is operational all year round without the need for cooling or heating; showrooms and offices benefit from a mixed system that encourages natural ventilation while reducing overall cooling loads.
The landscape design is an equally important part of the intervention and is functional to increase the rich local biodiversity. The project proposes a playful interpretation of the variety of the Cerrado biome, the second largest in Brazil, ranging from grassy glades, to savanna, to forest formations, represented here in different expressive languages along the outdoor paths, inspired by local wild species and native vegetation. Small ponds and water basins mitigate runoff and direct rainwater to a large basin at the bottom of the area; a 2, 120 cubic foot (60 cubic meter) tank stores water to reuse for irrigation.
