Technical an‎d economic analysis of an ammonia production system using renewable energies

10/14/2026 12:00:00 AM

Ammonia plays a vital role in agriculture an‎d energy storage; however, the conventional method of its production through the Haber-Bosch process is energy-intensive an‎d associated with high carbon dioxide emissions. In this study, the design an‎d analysis of a novel ammonia production system based on renewable energy (combining solar energy an‎d biomass) is presented. This system utilizes a chemical looping approach for ammonia synthesis, which eliminates the need for direct hydrogen supply an‎d high-pressure operation. The system components include solar thermal subsystems with both Rankine an‎d advanced Rankine cycles for power generation, air separation units for producing high-purity nitrogen an‎d oxygen, a biomass subsystem for carbon production as a feedstock for ammonia generation in the chemical loop, synthesis gas production for combustion an‎d heat an‎d power generation, an‎d a chemical looping ammonia synthesis system that incorporates a Rankine cycle for heat recovery an‎d power production. Thermodynamic modeling an‎d simulations have been conducted using MATLAB an‎d Aspen Plus, an‎d the system has been eva‎luated from energy, exergy, economic, an‎d environmental perspectives. The results show that the system can produce 2240 kg of ammonia per hour an‎d generate 22.78 MW of power, with a levelized cost of ammonia production estimated at $638 per ton. Replacing the conventional PEM electrolyzer an‎d Haber-Bosch combination with the chemical looping system results in reduced exergy destruction, a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions, an‎d a 40% decrease in overall system cost for producing the same amount of ammonia. However, the system requires high-temperature reactors an‎d advanced heat exchange networks. Overall, the results suggest that this method can offer a more sustainable, cost-effective, an‎d environmentally friendly pathway for green ammonia production from municipal solid waste an‎d renewable resources.

انرژي خورشيدي , گاز‌سازي زيست‌توده , شبيه‌سازي Aspen Plus , تحليل اگزرژي و اقتصادي , كاهش انتشار دي‌اكسيد كربن , حلقه شيميايي توليد آمونياك

Solar energy , biomass gasification , Aspen Plus simulation , exergy an‎d economic analysis , carbon dioxide emission reduction , chemical looping ammonia synthesis

Danial Hosseinzadeh Alherd

Dr.Ayat Ghareghani