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Haber Process (Process (Steam reacts with Methane from natural gas over a…
Haber Process
Process
- Steam reacts with Methane from natural gas over a heated catalyst to produce
- Air is added and oxygen reacts with hydrogen to produce more steam
- Reaction continues with excess methane, to form hydrogen and carbon dioxide.
- Finally results in mixture of nitrogen, hydrogen and carbon dioxide
- Carbon dioxide is removed to leave a mixture of nitrogen and hydrogen in a 1:3 ratio
- Mixture is compressed and passed over a heated iron catalyst where equilibrium is established.
Uses
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Manufacture of plastics, explosives, textiles, pesticides, dyes and other chemicals.
Conditions
Process occurs at very high pressure, typically 200 times atmospheric pressure (about 2x10^7) to shift equilibrium towards product (4 moles of gas to form 2 moles of gas) to get good yield
As forward reaction is exothermic, low temperature would give higher equilibrium yield of product, but if temperature is too low, rate of forward reaction is uneconomically slow.
Under optimum conditions, conversion of nitrogen to ammonia is still of the order 15% so that gases from the converter are cooled and ammonia liquifies. This is then separated from unreacted nitrogen and hydrogen, which are recycled.
Definition:
Industrial process for producing ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen, using an iron catalyst at high temperature and pressure.
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