Ammonia - a fuel of the future?

According to Japanese industry representatives, ammonia can become a climate-neutral energy source because it is cheaper than liquid hydrogen. The world's first turbine that can be 100% powered by ammonia was presented at the development center of the Japanese heavy industry group IHI in Yokohama. According to IHI's head of development Nobuhiko Kubota, "we managed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 99%."
At the end of 2022, a similar concept presented at a technology conference in Hamburg aroused disbelief due to the toxicity of ammonia. According to Kubota, process control made it possible to control harmful nitrogen oxides that can be produced during combustion, and the resulting innovation could pave the way to decarbonizing the economy.
Ammonia could thus become a "zero-emission option" for industries such as transport and metallurgy. Ammonia is also suitable as a "liquid energy carrier" for transporting hydrogen over long distances, which can then be broken down back into nitrogen and hydrogen, which in turn allows them to be easily stored or transported through pipelines. Currently, the German energy company RWE, the Japanese trading company Mitsubishi and the Korean chemical company Lotte are in talks to build a large-scale ammonia plant, which they will most likely locate in the USA. From 2030, the plant is to achieve the capacity to produce 10 million tons of the nitrogen-hydrogen compound annually.
Research conducted at the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg confirmed that "ammonia transport is particularly attractive in the short term" because existing infrastructure can be used. Another advantage is the price, because according to the IHI calculation, the so-called green liquefied ammonia (produced using renewable energy) costs approximately 1/3 less than liquid hydrogen. Additionally, liquid ammonia has a much higher energy density than liquid hydrogen. This means that more energy can be transported with the same amount. This makes the nitrogen compound interesting for all applications that have previously used fossil fuels.
It should also be emphasized that the approach to the use of ammonia in Japan and Germany is different. The Germans plan to use it mainly as fuel for ships, and the Japanese intend to produce energy from it. The reason is different energy strategies: Germany wants to cover a total of 80% of electricity demand from renewable sources by 2030, phase out coal-fired energy in 2038, and have a climate-neutral economy by 2045. Japan is taking a more pragmatic approach, as 1/3 of the Japanese economy is expected to be climate neutral by 2050, but gas and coal-fired power plants are expected to remain in operation for the long term. However, the country wants to operate its heat and power plants, including gas- and coal-fired ones. The Japanese government is focusing on the diversification of energy sources in order to increase security of supply, and by 2050 it assumes that approximately 50-60% of energy will come from renewable energy sources (10% will be provided by hydrogen and ammonia, 30-40% by nuclear and coal-fired power plants , and the so-called CO2 capture using CCS technology is to be widely used).
The Japanese hope that their technology will be in demand in emerging Asian countries due to their technological and financial conditions. In terms of exports, Europe is investing in the so-called green hydrogen, which is obtained by using large amounts of electricity from water electrolysis. Japan, on the other hand, is based on a phased strategy (first, it assumes the production of so-called gray hydrogen from coal and gas, and then transforming it into emission-neutral "blue" hydrogen using CCS technology - the aim is to attract investment, reduce costs, and then transition to green hydrogen).

Is it really the fuel of the future?
Ammonia has a much lower energy density - about 3.6 kWh per liter of fuel, which is half as much as gasoline. Moreover, it is very demanding to use. First of all, it is an extremely toxic substance that should not be contacted without protection.
Nitrogen production during combustion is also a problem here. This happens in engines without supercharging, or in units with too high a compression ratio.
All these restrictions mean that ammonia will never become a "successor to gasoline"
Firstly, it is almost emission-free, but still leaves a slight carbon footprint. Secondly, the risk of health damage during direct contact may be very high.
Ammonia, however, has a chance of success in heavy transport. Why? The answer is simple - they have been working on ways to safely transport this substance for years. Using this experience and combining it with the space in tractor units, you can create a convenient solution. And 90% lower transport emissions would be what we need now.

However it can be a solution in another sector – the Naval Branch.
Bureau Veritas recently published criteria for the use of ammonia as a marine fuel and said that the classification society's staff had developed a set of regulations for the use of ammonia in ship propulsion systems.
In January this year, the Greek shipowner Avin International received Kriti Future, the world's first unit with a power plant whose main engine can be powered by ammonia. The ship was built under the supervision of the Greek branch of the ABS classification society.

Powered by conventional fuel, the vessel meets classification requirements 1 ABS Ammonia Ready, which means it is intended for conversion to ammonia in the future. The tanker with a capacity of 170,811 m3 also meets the classification requirements of 1 ABS LNG Fuel Ready.

The handover ceremony of the 274-meter-long tanker took place at the New Times Shipbuilding shipyard on January 10, 2022. It will be a Suezmax unit with a deadweight capacity of 156,700 tons. The ecological ship was ordered in the fall of 2020, VesselsValue reported.
Resource:
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https://www.parkiet.com/chemia/art38110801-produkcja-zielonego-amoniaku-to-melodia-dalekiej-przyszlosci
https://automatykab2b.pl/gospodarka/55118-amoniak-jako-potencjalne-paliwo-dla-energetyki