1Sataeva Sapura, 1Akhmetzhanova Assyl
1Western Kazakhstan named after Zhangir Khan Agrarian-Technical University,
Ural, Kazakhstan
Abstract. Currently, about 75-90% of global ammonia production is used to produce fertilizers that help billions of people around the world maintain food production. The potential of ammonia outweighs its use only as a fertilizer, since it can also be used as an energy carrier. The Haber-Bosch process was the first heterogeneous catalytic system introduced into industry, and remains relevant to this day. Understanding the mechanism of this reaction and improving the technology has become an important area of scientific research in the field of catalysis. However, because it consumes a lot of energy due to high operating pressure and temperature, about 2.16 tons of carbon dioxide per ton of ammonia is generated. Currently, about 90% of global production is produced from fossil fuels, and 96% of hydrogen is obtained from steam reforming of methane. Steam reforming of methane produces about 9-10 tons of carbon dioxide for every ton of hydrogen produced. The only producer of ammonia in Kazakhstan is KazAzot JSC, where it is produced by the Haber-Bosch method through the interaction of nitrogen (N2) and hydrogen (H2) gases. However, this production is the only one in Kazakhstan, so there is an acute shortage of ammonia. To reduce dependence on imports and fluctuations in gas prices, it is important to develop alternative sources of ammonia production in the country. One of the possible solutions is to develop a technology for the synthesis of ammonia from the products of the reforming unit of an oil refinery. This will allow for more efficient use of reforming products and reduce the risks associated with price fluctuations and the availability of imported ammonia.
Key words: ammonia, reforming, synthesis gas, methanation, steam reforming, KazAzot, Haber-Bosch method.