Method for converting nitrogen (n2) into ammonia and/or nitrate
AssigneeKing Saud University
InventorsMazen Abdullah BA-ABBAD, Hany AL-ANSARY, Essam AL-AMMAR
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a method for converting nitrogen (N2) into nitrate and/or ammonia comprising the steps of compressing air and separating nitrogen (N2) and oxygen (O2) therefrom, and either reacting earth alkaline metal with oxygen to produce earth alkaline metal oxide, using the high temperatures obtained to react N2 and O2 to NO, converting the NO with O2 to NO2, followed by the reaction of NO2 with water to result in HNO3 and NO; or reacting the nitrogen obtained with earth alkaline metal to produce earth alkaline metal nitride and reacting thereof with water to result in earth alkaline metal hydroxide and ammonia.
Claims8
Method for converting nitrogen (N2) into nitrate and/or ammonia comprising the steps:
- a) compressing air, optionally under removal of condensed water vapor, to a pressure of about 50 atmospheres, cooling the compressed air, preferably to about ambient temperature, separating oxygen (O2) and nitrogen (N2) from carbon dioxide (CO2), storing N2 and O2 in a storage tank and preferably storing the heat generated during compression and/or cooling in a heat storage medium;
- and either
- b1) reacting oxygen with earth alkaline metal Me, preferably Mg and/or Ca, according to the following equation:
- 2Me+O2→2MeO
- c1) using the temperature released in step b1) to further react N2 and O2 according to the following equations:
- N2+O22NO
- 2NO+O2→2NO2
- 3NO2+H2O→2HNO3+NO
- and/or
- b2) reacting N2 obtained in step a) with earth alkaline metal Me, preferably Mg and/or Ca, according to the following equations:
- 3Me+N2→Me3N2
- Me3N2+6H2O→3Me(OH)2+2NH3.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.