[HN Gopher] Deadly, dirty, indispensable: the nitrogen industry ...
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       Deadly, dirty, indispensable: the nitrogen industry has changed the
       world
        
       Author : pseudolus
       Score  : 20 points
       Date   : 2022-12-24 11:31 UTC (11 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.economist.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.economist.com)
        
       | theamk wrote:
       | https://archive.vn/3tKsJ
        
       | 082349872349872 wrote:
       | > _... under-consumption [was] So essential when there was under-
       | production; but in an age of machines and the fixation of
       | nitrogen -- positively a crime against society._ -- MM
        
       | bryanlarsen wrote:
       | Why is nitrogen the headline? It's the H3 in NH3 that is causing
       | the problem. Steam reforming natural gas to get H2 is the
       | majority of the emissions. Fractional distillation of air to get
       | nitrogen and the Haber Bosch process to combine the two are minor
       | in comparison.
        
         | nine_k wrote:
         | I bet nitrogen oxides also shaped the world a lot: nitrates are
         | both important fertilizers and key parts of various explosives.
        
         | analog31 wrote:
         | It's just easy terminology to understand. The H3 is what makes
         | NH3 usable. Also, nitrogen is the element that the plants need.
        
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       (page generated 2022-12-24 23:01 UTC)