Some scientists consider ammonia to be key in reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. Besides its ubiquitous use as a fertilizer, as a fuel it can also be used to run almost every type of internal combustion engine with only minimal modifications. It's cheaper than gas or diesel, and an engine or generator running on ammonia emits only water and nitrogen and no carbon dioxide.
The problem is that the bulk manufacture of ammonia is dirty and expensive, produced by burning natural gas that spews vast amounts of carbon. In fact, two tons of carbon dioxide are created for every ton of ammonia produced industrially.
However, Halton Hills' inventor and entrepreneur Roger Gordon thinks his refrigerator-size “green” ammonia reactor is at least a partial solution to our fossil fuels dilemma. He has patented a small-scale ammonia-reactor that uses electricity to make ammonia from air and water, separating the available hydrogen and nitrogen and mixing them together under heat and pressure, thus circumventing the carbon cycle.
Many projects and initiatives around the world are currently investigating the use of ammonia as a carbon-free technology that can be used for power generation, motor fuel and even jet propulsion. But Gordon claims his invention is the only one that can produce ammonia without a carbon footprint, especially if the electricity it uses is sourced from renewable wind or solar power.
Gordon has a working prototype of his machine at the Ontario Tech University in Oshawa, Ont., that produces 20 litres of anhydrous ammonia per hour. That might be small potatoes by industrial standards, but he's now working on a next-generation reactor in the Republic of Ireland that is expected to be many more times efficient. He's also had interest from the Cuban government who have sent representatives to check out his “green machine.”
The Halton Hills man has converted his old F350 pick up truck to run on dual fuels: gasoline and ammonia. The conversion is similar to cars that run on propane, but Gordon thinks it's unlikely that automobiles will be running on ammonia in the near future, even though the fuel is available for about 25 cents per litre.
According to Gordon: “I think in the list of things, road transportation is near the bottom. The first uses for my machine will probably be at farms that already have ammonia tanks, then remote communities up north where they're paying $3 per litre to run their generators. Instead of flying diesel fuel to remote communities at an inflated cost, with my machine ammonia could be synthesized on-site and used to run the generators now running on diesel,” he said.
“I think ammonia fuelled jets and ships will be ahead of road transport. The Cubans are interested because right now they can't get fuel and fertilizer and they also use ammonia for cooling.”
Although he still has some hoops to go through before starting production, Gordon's goal is to make 100 of these machines, according to his website http://www.greennh3.com. He estimates that building the prototype cost about $100,000. “But when we get ramped up we figure we can build one of these machines for $10,000,” he added. “I just want to see the machines going out the door. I have farmers who are just dying for one of these.”
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