Small in Japan: Decentralizing Ammonia-Production

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Small is Beautiful: Decentralizing Ammonia Production

The rapid expansion of renewable energy sources is certainly to be welcomed from the viewpoint of sustainability, resource conservation and environmental friendliness. However, the amount of energy produced by sources like wind and solar energy fluctuates strongly and cannot easily be adapted to match the actual demand at a given moment. In the near future, however, these fluctuations and supply-demand discrepancies will have to be compensated by energy storage. In addition to batteries, hydrogen is of particular interest, since it can be produced by means of electrolysis and later converted back into electricity in a fuel cell.

However, hydrogen has a relatively low energy density, which can make the process inefficient. Storage and transport by means of ammonia could be one solution, as ammonia has a much higher energy density and can be stored and transported more easily than hydrogen in liquid form. The small production plants of Tsubame BHB can play a key role in this development, as their capacity fits very well with smaller, decentralized energy systems and enables ammonia production close to the energy generation, for example, directly at a wind farm.

Gallery

Reaction mechanism of the electride catalyst.(Source: Tsubame BHB)

Comparison of the Haber-Bosch method with the method developed by Tsubame BHB.(Source: Tsubame BHB)

Zusammen mit grünem Wasserstoff ermöglicht das Verfahren klimaneutrales NH3.(Bild: Tsubame BHB)

Re-thinking ammonia synthesis: Japanese developers want to bring production on site with compact plants like this one.(Source: ©sosiukin - stock.adobe.com; Tsubame BHB)

In December 2019, a pilot plant with a capacity of 20 tons ammonia per year started operation in Kawasaki near Tokyo. In this pilot plant the researchers are studying the long-term stability of the catalyst and the optimal process conditions. A test of the catalyst in the pilot plant under optimized operating conditions (reactor temperature, pressure, etc.) showed that the catalytic activity was higher than in the laboratory test. Compared to the laboratory reactor, the required amount of catalyst can be reduced by about 30 percent with the same productivity. Applied to commercial plants with a capacity of several thousand tons per year or more, this means that they can be operated with a significantly smaller amount of catalyst. In addition, the laboratory reactor showed that the catalyst does not deactivate even after more than two years of continuous operation under constant reaction conditions.

Further Developments: A Modular Ammonia Construction Kit

Tsubame BHB has currently completed the basic engineering for two modular units with 500, 3,000 and 5,000 mtpa. These systems are intended for turnkey operation and come with optional hydrogen and nitrogen supply.

For larger systems producing more than 10,000 mtpa, the classic EPC business model is also available, in which the user receives the design and planning data as well as the catalyst and takes on the actual construction of the system himself or in cooperation with established engineering companies. n

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Date: 08.12.2025

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Ammonia Synthesis