To: Elizabeth Bayley, Chief Operating Officer at BASF

From: Luis M. Velozwong, PhD Chemist at BASF

Date: March 3, 2017
Subject: Importance of Haber-Bosch Process
The purpose of this memo is to educate you on the Haber Bosch process, so you will be
able to educate employees about its importance. As the COO of BASF1, it is important for you to
familiarize yourself with the Haber-Bosch process. It is important for the employees to know the
drastic effect their work has on the world. There is no room for mistake in this industry,
therefore, informing employees how important they are to the process is key. This memo will
give you a brief understanding of what the chemical engineering process is as well as provide the
advantages and disadvantages of it.
What is the Haber Bosch process?
The HaberBosch process is an artificial nitrogen fixation2 process and is the main
industrial procedure for the production of ammonia today. Named after its inventors, the German
Chemists Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch, who developed it in the first half of the 20th century [1].
The process converts nitrogen (N2) to ammonia (NH3) by a reaction with hydrogen (H2) using a
metal catalyst under high temperatures and pressures, this can be seen in Equation (1) [1].
N2 + 3 H2 2 NH3 (1)
How does the process work?
The Haber process3 combines nitrogen from the air with hydrogen derived mainly from
natural gas into ammonia. The reaction is reversible and the production of ammonia is
exothermic4 [2]. The process model can be seen in Figure (1)
Attached video: How does it work?

Figure 1: Haber-Bosch Process

The Catalyst
The catalyst5 is more complicated than pure iron, as seen in Figure (1). It is iron mixed with
potassium hydroxide added as a promoter, which is a substance which increases its efficiency
[2].
The pressure
The pressure varies from one manufacturing plant to another, however it is always high [2]. The
average pressure used in most reactors is around 200 atmospheres of pressure.
The temperature
The reaction is exothermic, therefore increasing the temperature will result in a reactant favored
reaction. However, decreasing the temperature will consequently make the reaction rate slower.
The temperature is kept around 400 degrees Celsius to create a balance between the two factors
[2].
Advantages
1. Ammonia Production
The Haber Process provides an extremely efficient process to produce ammonia. It is the
most efficient and economical process to produce ammonia at high quantities. The Nobel
prize in Chemistry was awarded to Fritz Haber for his enormous contribution to society
[3].
2. Fertilizer
Ammonia is primarily used as fertilizer. It provides nitrogen for crop fertilizers. The
Haber process produces about 500 million tons (453 billion kilograms) of fertilizer every
year. This fertilizer helps to feed about 40% of the worlds population [1]. Fertilizers
replenish the soil with needed elements like nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. The
lack of fertilizers would lead to farmers only being able to harvest once every couple of
years, since there would be no efficient way of replenishing the needed growth elements.
Disadvantages
1. Fresh water contamination
Fertilizers seep into rivers causing algae to die. In turn, bacteria feed on dead algae
causing oxygen levels in the water to deplete and killing aquatic animals. The risk of
ground-water contamination by nitrates depends both on the nitrogen input to the land
surface as well as the degree to which an aquifer is vulnerable to nitrate
leaching/accumulation. Nitrogen input refers to the nitrogen deposited on the land surface
and aquifer vulnerabilities indicates the likelihood that nitrate from a nitrogen source at
the surface will reach the water source [4].
2. High energy process
The synthesis of the ammonia uses an iron catalyst which requires high temperatures and
high pressures. As a result, it consumes more than 2% of the energy generated in the
world each year [5].
Conclusion
The purpose of this memo was to give you enough knowledge about the Haber-Bosch process to
be able to educate employees about its vast application and importance. The advantages of
ammonia production and fertilizer outweigh the consequences of energy consumption and
contamination. A large majority of people disagree with the use of fertilizers for crops, however,
without them the price of food would skyrocket unimaginably.

Glossary of Terms
1
BASF: Germany Chemical Company
2
Nitrogen Fixation Process: Process which uses nitrogen to produce nitrogen based product
3
Haber Process: It is equivalent to Haber-Bosch Process
4
Exothermic: A reaction which produces heat as a product
5
Catalyst: Substance which increases the rate of the chemical reaction without being consumed

References
"Haber Process." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Mar. 2017. Web. 9 Apr. 2017.
Clark, Jim. "The Haber Process for the Manufacture of Ammonia." The Haber Process for the
Manufacture of Ammonia. Chem Guide, Apr. 2013. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1918". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 10 Apr
2017.
"Disadvantages of Synthetic Fertilisers." Disadvantages of Synthetic Fertilisers. N.p., n.d. Web.
09 Apr. 2017.
Notman, Nina. "Haber-Bosch Power Consumption Slashed." Chemistry World. N.p., 20 Oct.
2012. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.

Additional sources/information
https://www.basf.com/us/en/company/news-and-media/science-around-us/fertilizer-out-of-thin-
air.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK4vXKaBJko