Ammonia Synthesis Reactor

The rusty column now standing on KIT’s South Campus served since 1923 as a reactor for ammonia (NH3) production at Badische Anilin- und Soda-Fabrik (BASF) in Oppau near Ludwigshafen am Rhein. After its decommissioning, the large-scale device was relocated to the campus as a technical monument. It is a reminder of the development of ammonia synthesis until 1908 by Fritz Haber, professor of physical chemistry at Karlsruhe Polytechnic, with his team of collaborating BASF employees. Carl Bosch of BASF then played an important role in scaling the process for industrial use. The synthesis of ammonia from hydrogen and atmospheric nitrogen addressed the late nineteenth-century challenge of utilizing the nitrogen in air, which was abundant but hitherto inaccessible. The driving force at the time was the anticipated depletion of natural fertilizers, upon which the food supply of the industrialized nations depended. By solving this supply issue through ammonia synthesis, a versatile primary product became available for the chemical industry. Ammonia is also used as an environmentally friendly refrigerant and in the production of explosives, and its potential as an energy carrier is being increasingly discussed today. Ammonia synthesis not only earned Fritz Haber the Nobel prize in chemistry but also advanced his career. He was appointed director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, founded near Berlin in 1911. During World War I, he worked there on developing poison gas and personally led the first frontline use of this new chemical weapon. This aspect of his work has been the subject of much criticism, as reflected in acts of protest affecting the ammonia reactor and the street sign on Fritz-Haber-Weg, which runs past it. kn