Nitric acid is most commonly manufactured by ostwald process. Process analysis and plant design for manufacturing of nitric acid riyaz s. There are three possible subgroups of wet processes depending on the acid that is used for the acidulation. The manufacture of nitric acid the role of platinum alloy gauzes in the ammonia oxidation process by h. Industrial process economics reports about nitric acid nitric acid is a strong acid of major importance. The ostwald process is a chemical process used for making nitric acid hno 3. A process for the production of oxalic acid comprising heating a mixture of mother liquor obtained from a previous operation and containing sulfuric acid and a solution of a carbohydrate, slowly adding nitric acid to the mixture whereby the carbohydrate is oxidized to oxalic acid, and separating oxalic acid from the resulting mother liquor. In the most used industrial process, the benzene reacts with the nitric acid in the presence of a catalyst, the sulphuric acid. Process analysis and plant design for manufacturing of. Nitric acid concentration process for many purposes, 55 to 60% nitric acid is satisfactory.
Process basis process basis ammonia is reacted with air on platinumrhodium alloy catalysts in the oxidation section of nitric acid plants. What are the uses of nitric acid on an industrial level. Nitric acid concentration using the direct strong nitric process uhde process. Process id no enter the identification number id no. Wilhelm ostwald developed the process, and he patented it in 1902. Adipic acid chemical production and investment cost. The plants range in size from 6,000 to 700,000 tons per. O emissions in nitric acid plants, a powerful greenhouse gas with a high global warming potential. Nitric acid manufacturing process uses ostwald process. Emission factor calculated for each nitric acid train lb. Emission of n 2 o from nitric acid production has been estimated at 11. Commercial incentive to develop the process was lacking until the turn of the century, when ostwald began experiments on various types of platinum in order to obtain quantitative. He also discusses the changes that occur in the gauze leading to metal loss during operation.
If a performance test was conducted, report the following. Pdf design of a plant to manufacture sulfuric acid from. Continuous process the process of production of potassium nitrate by passing a solution of nitric acid. Type of nitric acid process used for each nitric acid train low, medium, or dual pressure.
The process is substantially an oxidation of ethylene glycol andor glycolic acid by oxygen in an acid medium comprising. Historically and practically, the ostwald process is closely associated with the haber. Economics of nitric acid production processes by intratec. Process economics program report 3 published march 1965 this report covers the manufacture of adipic acid by processes in which it is the principal product, the processes and cost of production of adipic acid as a byproduct of caprolactam manufacture or other processes are not considered. Technical support document for the nitric acid production. Sigmaaldrich offers a number of nitric acid products.
Increasing demand for adipic acid to formulate nylon resins and fibers for automotive interior manufacturing is identified as a key market driver. Kerosene, decanes and naphtha can be used as organic diluents. A short video clip illustrating the process of nitric acid production that can be viewed online by students or downloaded for showing in class. Urea is a very important industrial production which is much used in agricultural field as a fertilizer because urea contains high percentage of nitrogen.
Table 1 contains a list of all nitric acid facilities. However, for nitrations and other applications a more concentrated nitric acid is required. Nitric acid is a highly corrosive mineral acid and is commonly used as a strong oxidizing agent. A mixture of h 2 so 4 and free so 3 is equivalent to a sulfuric acid concentration of over 100 %. Sulfuric acid plant electrical conductivity is the most costeffective technique for both monitoring process conditions and safeguarding process equipment. This report contains a detailed design proc edure of a plant to manufacture sulfuric acid from. Texas commission on environmental quality form opua27. Nitrogen oxides gases generated in the process are oxidized to nitric acid with oxygen during the reaction. Process intensification in nitric acid plants by catalytic.
The fertilizer industry uses weak nitric acid in the range of 50 to 65% strength and thus the high concentration above 70% weight nitric acid production process is not included. The ostwald process is a mainstay of the modern chemical industry, and it provides the main raw material for the most common type of fertilizer production. This may be nitric, hydrochloric or sulphuric but this booklet is concerned only with processes using the sulphuric acid route since this is the process normally used in the production of fertilizers in europe. This process can be traced back to 1838 when kuhlmann filed a patent covering the production of nitric acid by passing air and ammonia over heated platinum. The company manufacturers three grades of nitric acid which include dilute nitric acid dna, strong nitric acid sna and concentrated nitric acid cna. The effect of nitric acid on the oxidation of multiwalled carbon nanotubes mwcnts has been investigated by sample weight, raman spectrum, solubility. Then in step 2, the nitrogen dioxide that was formed is absorbed in water. Some 99% acid is required for the manufacture of, for example, organic nitrocompounds for the explosives and dye industries. Nitric acid and water form an azeotropic mixture, with a maximum boiling point of 395 k, containing ca 68% nitric acid by mass. A process for the production of oxalic acid wherein ethylene glycol andor glycolic acid are oxidized in the presence of nitric acid with introduction of oxygen. Number of times in the reporting year that missing data procedures were followed to measure nitric acid production months. Etching is pronounced at the segregatematrix interface, and segregate or matrix areas may etch out, leaving pits. Us3678107a process for the production of oxalic acid. From chile saltpeter nano3 and h2so4 react to produce nahso4 and hno3 electric oxidation of air n2 and o2 react in the presence of electricity to form no and more o2 produces no2 and then this is mixed with water to produce hno3 2.
Urea is called also as carbamide, which is an organic compound with chemical formula of conh 2 2. The global nitric acid market size was valued at usd 24. Alternative control techniques document nitric and adipic. The direct strong nitric acid process is similar to the weak nitric acid process, but has additional processing steps that bypass the azeotrope to produce strong nitric acid.
This mixture is called fuming sulfuric acid or oleum. Nitric acid is witnessing rising demand for the manufacturing of fertilizers, nylon, explosives, and a variety of industrially useful organic and inorganic compounds, including adipic acid, toluene diisocyanate tdi, and nitrobenzene. Nitric acid concentration using extractive distillation 311 figure 35. If the nitric acid formed in the receiving bottle is. The ostwald process converts ammonia to nitric acid and involves two steps. Nitric acid manufacturing process nitric acid nitrogen. The main industrial use of nitric acid is for the production of fertilizers. Nitric acid is produced industrially through a multistep reaction process known as ostwald process. It is mainly applied in the manufacture of ammonium nitrate, used in fertilizers, but it is.
In addition to these, the company also has the capability of customizing grades to cater to specific requirements of its customers. Sulfur, as followed by group 01 as per the allocations of ch 4202 comprehensive design. Information on the chemical and physical properties, manufacturing processes, materials of construction, uses, safety and health, analytical methods, and producers of. The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing nitric acid wherein a gaseous mixture, including air and ammonia, is transported on a catalyst including platinum to carry out catalytic oxidation of the ammonia, and is characterized in that a sulfurated component is added to the gaseous mixture. When sufficiently cool, treat the highly concentrated sulfuric acid as described above. Nitric acid is both a strong acid and a strong oxidizing agent, nitric acid can dissolve most metals. The production of nitric acid takes place in 3 process steps shown by the following main equations. Ammonia, oxygen, water are the raw materials of nitric acid manufacturing. In step 1, ammonia is oxidized to form nitric oxide and also nitrogen dioxide.
The benefits of haber process and manufacturing process of nitric acid far outweigh the hazards and therefore must be continued, however new research should be carried out to make the process as smooth, easy, economic and hazard free as possible. Questions of nitric acid manufacturing ask your question what are the raw materials required for the manufacture of nitric acid by ostwald process. Nitric acid is a colorless liquid that is used in the manufacture of inorganic and organic nitrates and nitro compounds for fertilizers, dye intermediates, explosives, and many different organic chemicals. Ammonia is first oxidized to nitric oxide in presence of heat, oxygen and the catalyst. Nitric acid production by the oxidation of ammonia on platinum gauzes constitutes one of the worlds major chemical industries. As the alloy content increases, so does the degree of segregation and its associated problems. Analogous to this procedure, other anhydrides can be converted into their corresponding acids. Some nitric acid is used as an intermediate in the polymer industry for manufacturing polyamides and polyurethanes. May 21, 2014 the dow chemical company page 2 of 6 manufacture of product capacity angus chemical company angus has manufactured products from nitroalkanes and their derivatives for more than 70 years. Nitric oxide and water are formed in this process according to the main equation. There are 9 small businesses which own a total of 18 nitric acid facilities.
Since the danish catalyst company haldor topsoe introduced and patented this technology in the late 1980s, it has been recognised as an efficient process for recovering sulfur from various process gasses in the form of commercial quality sulfuric acid h 2 so 4, with simultaneous. Box 124 blindern, oslo n0314, norway yara international asa, yara technology. The purpose of this simulation was to observe the thermodynamic. Nitric acid manufacturing process free download as pdf file. This guide focuses on the most important systems, processes, and practices that account for. It is these gases which are visible as a redbrown plume. The plants range in size from 6,000 to 700,000 tons per year. According to the facilitylevel bottomup inventory, there are 45 nitric acid production plants operating in 25 states with a total of 65 process units. Nitric acid manufacturing the engineering concepts. The wet sulfuric acid process wsa process is one of the key gas desulfurization processes on the market today. It is usually utilized for abstracting transition metal catalyst from singlewalled carbon nanotubes swnts in order to purify them. Nitric acid hno 3 is a highly corrosive mineral acid.