Current situation and development prospect of green ammonia industry

The ammonia industry has made outstanding contributions to human food security and economic and social development, while also causing a large amount of carbon dioxide emissions in the production process. Green ammonia produced using renewable energy has the characteristic of zero carbon and significant carbon reduction effects throughout its lifecycle. It has become one of the hotspots for low-carbon industry development worldwide. this paper introduces the policies of the green ammonia industry, the current development status and progress of the green ammonia industry, and analyzes the market competitiveness of green ammonia in four downstream applications such as vehicle and ship fuel, hydrogen storage carriers, fuel power generation, and chemical raw materials. It is considered that the major global ship engine technology companies and ship manufacturers are developing ammonia fuel engines and ammonia powered ships which are gradually conducting operational tests. And the ammonia fuel engines for vehicles have achieved breakthroughs in related technologies in China. It is believed that ocean shipping is the first breakthrough area for green ammonia, and when the price of green electricity drops to around 0.20CNY/kWh with the advancement of new energy technology, global green ammonia vehicle and ship fuel will usher in significant development. Green ammonia will become increasingly cost competitive in the heavy-duty truck and ocean shipping industries. At the same time, ammonia has great potential for development as a hydrogen storage carrier. The cost of liquid ammonia synthesis and dehydrogenation accounts for over 85% of the total cost, and it is not sensitive to transportation distance. In the future, it will become one of the main forms of global long-distance transportation of bulk hydrogen. The sustainable development of the green ammonia industry requires support from technological innovation, industrial policies, and standard formulation. © 2024 Chemical Industry Press Co., Ltd.. All rights reserved.