CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR UPSC IAS

The quest for sustainable agriculture and energy solutions has ushered in an era of innovation, with companies worldwide striving to produce green ammonia. 

Dimension 1: Opportunity for India

• In 2023, India is about 60 MMTPA fertilizer consumption nation. This will grow to about 135 MMTPA by 2050.
  • The concomitant requirement of ammonia will also balloon.
• The demand, therefore, is massive. The opportunity to reduce the carbon-footprint is enormous.
• India is gearing up to establish about 5.8 million tonnes of green ammonia manufacturing across various regions.

Dimension 2: Challenges

• High cost: The cost of making green ammonia is very high today compared to brown ammonia due to two major cost-components: a) electrolyzer and b) green power.
• Storage issues: Storage of hydrogen, separated using electrolysis of water, is also a challenge today leading to disruption of a continuous supply of feedstock to the ammonia plants.

Dimension 3: Usage & Potential of Green Ammonia

• It is also known as renewable ammonia.
• To produce green ammonia, green hydrogen must first be obtained through a process of water electrolysis.
• That is, water is decomposed into hydrogen and oxygen, using electrical energy generated from renewable sources.
• The hydrogen is then combined with atmospheric nitrogen through a process known as Haber-Bosch synthesis, which allows hydrogen and nitrogen to react at high pressure and temperature in the presence of a catalyst to form ammonia.
• The end result is the production of green ammonia using green hydrogen and atmospheric nitrogen. 
• Main uses of green ammonia
• It is used in production of agricultural fertilisers
• It is also used as a raw material in the production of a variety of chemical products, such as nitric acid, synthetic fibres, explosives, dyes and pharmaceuticals. 
• Other potential usage: as a fuel for ships, as a fuel in boilers, turbines or enginesto generate heat and electricity