Chemical Forums

Specialty Chemistry Forums => Chemical Engineering Forum => Topic started by: Abdel on October 03, 2015, 09:15:39 PM

Title: How can i produce nitric acid using ammonia?
Post by: Abdel on October 03, 2015, 09:15:39 PM

Hi everyone
I have to produce nitric acid using ammonia NH3 (other fertilizers like sodium nitrate NaNO3 & so are unavailable)
I need your advices to do that.
Notes:
1-If it must be based on catalytic oxidation, please give me other choices than platinum & expensive ones.
2-I need to concentrate it so I know I have to use hydrogen peroxide H2O2 instead of water.. but what I don't understand exactly is how concentrated must it be? (I am not sure of my calculus result, but I suppose the needed concentration is 50%) & how can I prepare it? (I read about doing it by heating NaHCO3 to produce Na2O2 as a first step, then solve it in concentrated sulphuric acid H2SO4)
If any above-mentioned information is wrong, please correct it.
Sincerely, Dr.Thrax

Title: Re: How can i produce nitric acid using ammonia?
Post by: Borek on October 04, 2015, 05:41:09 AM

No way to make it cheaper than the one you can buy, unless you are ready to invest a lot of money into the installation.

Title: Re: How can i produce nitric acid using ammonia?
Post by: Abdel on October 04, 2015, 07:35:47 AM

Quote from: Borek on October 04, 2015, 05:41:09 AM

No way to make it cheaper than the one you can buy, unless you are ready to invest a lot of money into the installation.

1- But I don't talk of making it that cheaper. I mean industrially it can be prepared using nitrate salts, so palatine has nothing to do with here. Thus it can be cheaper than the one produced using ammonia. I just need an available & cheaper catalyst.
I read on the link below that I can use copper as a catalyst!!:
http://www.chem.umass.edu/demonstrations/chemReactions5_4.html
2-I have another question: can I instead burn ammonia using for example an Oxygen rich environment?..
3-I recalculated the concentration of Hydrogen peroxide needed, starting with the reaction equation:
If we use water, we get this result 2NO2 + H2O = HNO3 + HNO2
One thing to say, is that i don't really know how can i calculate its concentration here, but i guess it is about 57.27%..
If we use hydrogen peroxide, we get the result below:
2NO2 + H2O2 = 2HNO3
So apparently, I need a pure hydrogen peroxide.. Can i get a 100% concentrated peroxide??!!
Alternatively, can I use a strong oxidant such as potassium chlorate KClO3?

Cheers Dr.Thrax

Title: Re: How can i produce nitric acid using ammonia?
Post by: thelastone on October 13, 2015, 12:05:22 PM

Ok I can give my opinion (I could be mistaken):

1.-It's stated that copper can work, yes, but there is no data on the performance of the reaction (imagine that with platinum you've got a 60% and with copper a 10%).

2.-Yes you could. But wouldn't it be cost prohibitive?

3.-100% peroxide? No you cannot, and even if you could, you should stabilise the Hydrogen peroxid solution with either Phosphoric acid or a mix of acetic acid + peracetic, having an acid in the game and rendering the synthesis useless?

I've no idea on the KClO3, sorry.

Title: Re: How can i produce nitric acid using ammonia?
Post by: Enthalpy on October 18, 2015, 08:26:49 PM

Pure hydrogen peroxide doesn't exist. Concentrations like 98% do exist and are used for some rockets but are damned dangerous. Expect high-grade peroxide to fully detonate upon contact with nearly anything, including a little bit of ammonia.