YES!
Evaluate the pros and cons of Haber's discovery.
Originally used for the production of high explosives , ammonia is now used mostly as fertilizers which help feed the world
Before i can tell you how the Haber Bosch process feeds the world , Let me explain what is the Haber Bosch process.
This process which won 2 scientist nobel prizes in 1918 and 1932 . Also known as the Haber process , the Haber-Bosch process is used for the manufacturing of ammonia.
N2 (g)+ 3 H2 (g) ⇌ 2 NH3 (g)
The reactants are nitrogen and hydrogen.
-Hydrogen( H2) is obtained from reacting natural gas (usually methane) with steam or cracking hydrocarbons
Methane + Steam (water) -> Carbon dioxide and Hydrogen
-Nitrogen ( N2) is obtained from air as air is nearly 80% nitrogen and 20% oxygen. The oxygen is removed by burning hydrogen
Hydrogen + Oxygen -> Water
The Product is ammonia (NH3 )
The Haber-Bosch process of capturing Nitrogen from the ambient atmosphere and converting it to a solid form had great consequences for development around the world. The first application of the process was making ammonia nitrate as a material for munitions. However, it wasn't until after WWII that ammonia nitrate was used widely as a fertilizer. The government needed a way to get rid of the huge stock piles of NH4NO3 and decided to see if it could be used in Agriculture. NH4NO3 as an agricultural input has increased crop yields by up to 300% and has made it possible for agriculture to keep up with growing populations around the world.
Today, NH4NO3 is used widely in agriculture and the process of making NH4NO3 accounts for roughly 1/3 of the total energy use in agriculture. Because the process relies heavily on fossil fuels people are concerned about the implications of limited oil resources and the impact that could have on food availability as the world population continues to increase.
NH4NO3 has greatly impacted the environment in different ways. It is responsible for degradation of both water and soil resources. High levels of NH4NO3 kill soil microbes and can lead to long term negative impacts such as compaction while runoff into water supplies can affect community health and damages ecosystems through eutrophication of lakes and streams.