An Electrifying Development
by Neal Fine
June 24, 2023
Nitric acid is a highly corrosive and reactive chemical compound that finds extensive applications across a range of industries. In this post, I will explore its primary uses, the market size, and the environmental impact of the nitric acid industry.
Nitric acid serves as a crucial component in several sectors. In the realm of agriculture, it plays a pivotal role in the production of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer that is essential for modern farming practices and critical for feeding a growing population. It is also a vital raw material in the chemical manufacturing sector, where it is used in the synthesis of diverse chemicals such as dyes, nylon, and pharmaceuticals. The metal processing industry benefits from nitric acid's properties as well, employing it for metal etching, cleaning, and the production of metal nitrates and catalysts. Finally, as a key component of explosives like TNT, nitric acid finds utility in mining operations – where it is used in the extraction of precious metals like gold and platinum, as well as lithium for the growing battery industry.
The global nitric acid market is significant. According to industry reports, it was valued at approximately $24 billion in 2021. Factors driving market growth include the consistent demand for fertilizers to support agricultural productivity, the expanding chemical industry, and the increasing adoption of nitric acid in laboratory and analytical applications. The price of nitric acid has had periods of significant volatility, resulting from swings in the price of natural gas which, in recent years, has faced upward pressure due in part to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
When considering the environmental impact of the nitric acid industry, two key aspects come to light. First, the production of nitric acid itself generates carbon dioxide emissions. This occurs during the catalytic oxidation of ammonia, which is an integral step in industrial nitric acid synthesis. The release of carbon dioxide contributes to climate change as a major greenhouse gas. Additionally, the nitric acid production process is associated with the emission of nitrous oxide, which is also a potent greenhouse gas.
I’ve no doubt that efforts are being made within the industry to mitigate these environmental concerns. Strategies most likely include optimizing production processes to reduce emissions and implementing stringent emission control measures.
But we can do better! At Arctura, we are working on an approach to electrifying the nitric acid synthesis process and eliminating its carbon footprint. Our technology uses low temperature plasma (LTP), which is a process in which air at room temperature and pressure is passed through a high strength electric field, causing some of the molecules in the air to become ionized or energized in certain vibrational modes that lead to splitting of the nitrogen molecule. And if we use renewable sources to power the process, then we can create the product using using only air, water, and electricity with no carbon dioxide emissions.
We have several partnerships brewing that will help to bring this technology to market quickly. Those partnerships include a major renewable energy provider and a large industrial partner that consumes nitric acid. Stay tuned for more details soon!
