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BirkelandEydeprocessWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

BirkelandEydeprocess
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

TheBirkelandEydeprocesswasoneofthecompetingindustrialprocessesinthebeginningofnitrogen
basedfertilizerproduction.ItwasdevelopedbyNorwegianindustrialistandscientistKristianBirkeland
alongwithhisbusinesspartnerSamEydein1903,basedonamethodusedbyHenryCavendishin1784.[1]
Thisprocesswasusedtofixatmosphericnitrogen(N2)intonitricacid(HNO3),oneofseveralchemical
processesgenerallyreferredtoasnitrogenfixation.Theresultantnitricacidwasthenusedasasourceof
nitrate(NO3)inthereaction
HNO3H++NO3
whichmaytakeplaceinthepresenceofwateroranotherprotonacceptor.
AfactorybasedontheprocesswasbuiltinRjukanandNotoddeninNorway,combinedwiththebuilding
oflargehydroelectricpowerfacilities.[2]
TheBirkelandEydeprocessisrelativelyinefficientintermsofenergyconsumption.Therefore,inthe
1910sand1920s,itwasgraduallyreplacedinNorwaybyacombinationoftheHaberprocessandthe
Ostwaldprocess.TheHaberprocessproducesammonia(NH3)frommolecularnitrogen(N2)andhydrogen
(H2),thelatterusuallybutnotnecessarilyproducedbysteamreformingmethane(CH4)gasincurrent
practice.TheammoniafromtheHaberprocessisthenconvertedintonitricacid(HNO3)intheOstwald
process.[3]

Theprocess
Anelectricalarcwasformedbetweentwocoaxialelectrodes,andthroughtheuseofastrongmagnetic
field,wasspreadoutintoathindisc.Theplasmatemperatureinthediscwasinexcessof3000C.Airwas
blownthroughthisarc,causingsomeofthenitrogentoreactwithoxygenformingnitricoxide.Bycarefully
controllingtheenergyofthearcandthevelocityoftheairstream,yieldsofupto4%nitricoxidewere
obtained.Theprocessisextremelyenergyintensive.Birkelandusedanearbyhydroelectricpowerstation
fortheelectricityasthisprocessdemandedabout15MWh/Tonofnitricacid.Thesamereactioniscarried
outbylightning,providinganaturalsourceforconvertingatmosphericnitrogentosolublenitrates.[4]
N2+O22NO
Thehotnitricoxideiscooledandcombineswithatmosphericoxygentoproducenitrogendioxide.
2NO+O22NO2
Thisnitrogendioxideisthendissolvedinwatertogiverisetonitricacid,whichisthenpurifiedby
fractionaldistillation.[5]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birkeland%E2%80%93Eyde_process

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BirkelandEydeprocessWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

3NO2+H2O2HNO3+NO

References
1. AaronJohnIhde(1984).Thedevelopmentofmodernchemistry.CourierDoverPublications.p.678.ISBN0486
642356.
2. G.J.Leigh(2004).Theworld'sgreatestfix:ahistoryofnitrogenandagriculture.OxfordUniversityPressUS.
pp.134139.ISBN0195165829.
3. TrevorIlltydWilliamsThomasKingstonDerry(1982).Ashorthistoryoftwentiethcenturytechnologyc.1900
c.1950.OxfordUniversityPress.pp.134135.ISBN0198581599.
4. KarlFisherWilliamE.Newton(2002).G.J.Leigh,ed.Nitrogenfixationatthemillennium.Elsevier.pp.23.
ISBN0444509658.
5. DouglasErwin(2002).IndustrialChemicalProcessDesign.McGrawHill.p.613.ISBN0071376216.

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