Option – Part 1
Industrial Chemistry
Leaving Certificate Chemistry
Benefits
Benefits of
of Chemical
Chemical Industries
Industries
• Produces
1. necessary medicines
2. Chemicals for food industry - increases food output
3. health and hygiene products
Chemical Industry in Ireland
Muspratt is credited
with the beginning of
the Irish Chemical
Industry with the setting
up of a plant in 1818 to
manufacture chemical
products such as
hydrochloric and acetic
acids and turpentine
James Muspratt
1793 – 1886
Modern Industry in Ireland
Pfizer
Pharmaceuticals
Co. Cork
Industrial Manufacturing Processes
Manufacturing
Processes
Batch
Industrial Chemical
Reactions
take place in
Disadvantage
Advantage
reactors
a setto
period
Contamination
of
the of
overallforcosts
the
timereactor
to make
product.
batch
– must
be
pharmaceutical
plant
Process
repeated
for a
cleaned
after
each batch
kept to
a minimum.
new batch.
Continuous
Industrial Chemical
Reactions
continuously
Disadvantage
Advantage
take
withfor
the
raw
Veryplace
high
costs
tolarge
build
suitable
materials
in at one end
plants.
scalefed
production.
and the product coming
out at the other
Semi-Continuous Process
• A combination of batch and continuous
processes. Part of the operation is a batch
process, usually the reaction step, and the
separation stage might be run continuously
using materials from several batch reactors.
Learning check...
• What does batch processing mean?
• Give one advantage and one disadvantage of
batch processing.
• What is an advantage of continuous
processing?
• Name a difference between batch and
continuous processing?
The Manufacture of Ammonia
and urea
Nitrogen (N2)
+ Hydrogen (3H2)
High Pressure:
200 atm
Ammonia (2NH3)
Iron Catalyst
400 oC
Haber-Bosch Process
Haber process – continuous flow
Why manufacture Ammonia?
The Manufacture of Ammonia
and urea
The Manufacture of Ammonia
and urea
Raw Materials
Methane (CH4)
Air
The Manufacture of Ammonia
and urea
Raw Materials give us our
feedstock
Steam Reforming
Methane (CH4)
CH4 + H2O
Methane (CH4) is
reacted with steam to
give hydrogen
3H2 + CO
The Manufacture of Ammonia
and urea
Raw Materials give us our
feedstock(reactants)
Secondary steam reforming
Air
CH4 + 2O2
Methane (CH4) is
reacted with oxygen to
remove it from the air
leaving mostly
nitrogen
2H2O + CO2
The Manufacture of Ammonia
and urea
Rate (Speed) of Reaction
A finely divided iron
catalyst increases the
rate of reaction
The Manufacture of Ammonia
and urea
Product yield
Nitrogen (N2)
+ Hydrogen (3H2)
Ammonia (2NH3)
17 %
Some of the ammonia is used to
form urea – an excellent fertiliser
The Manufacture of Ammonia
and urea
What is a co- product?
• A co- product is a product that is made
alongside the principal product during the
process.
The Manufacture of Ammonia
and urea
Co-products
The carbon dioxide
produced could be sold
to the beverages
industry to put the
“fizz” into drinks
Air
CH4 + 2O2
2H2O + CO2
Secondary steam reforming
The Manufacture of Ammonia
and urea
Co-products
The carbon dioxide is removed on reaction with
potassium carbonate solution
CO2 + H2O + K2CO3

2KHCO3
Air
CH4 + 2O2
2H2O + CO2
Secondary steam reforming
The Manufacture of Ammonia
and urea
Co-products
Urea is formed when ammonia reacts with carbon dioxide
CO2 + 2NH3

Ammonium Carbonate
Dehydration gives urea
Air
CH4 + 2O2
NH2COONH4
+
2H2O + CO2
Secondary steam reforming
The Manufacture of Ammonia
and urea
Waste disposal & effluent control
The discharge of ammonia or carbon dioxide could lead to
pollution
The Manufacture of Ammonia
and urea
Quality control
A QC control room
sensors are available to
monitor variables like
temperature, pressure,
pH, flow rates of gases
The Manufacture of Ammonia
Fixed costs
vs
Variable
costs
and urea
Costs
• Fixed cost – doesn’t depend on amount of
product made
• Variable cost –depends on how much product
is made
The Manufacture of Ammonia
and urea
Costs
Wages for
employees
Purchase of methane
for process
Electricity
costs
The Manufacture of Ammonia
and urea
Site location – Cobh Cork
Natural gas
produced nearby
Port nearby to transport
products elsewhere
Railway line nearby
to transport products
elsewhere