South Africa is destined to become the hub for ‘the fuel of the future’ with the development of a massive $4.6 billion plant in a game-changing shift towards sustainable energy alternatives. This ambitious project intends to transform the energy landscape by providing a greener, more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional fossil fuels. The plant will create a cutting-edge fuel that promises to transform the global energy market, marking a key milestone in the country’s commitment to combating climate change.
This ground-breaking facility would not only lessen the country’s carbon footprint, but it would also boost its economy by offering numerous job possibilities and promoting the expansion of renewable energy industries. As the globe explores more sustainable alternatives to traditional energy sources, creating this future plant might be a game changer, propelling worldwide advances in clean energy and setting a new benchmark for environmental responsibility.
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- The Future Fuel Will Be Manufactured In South Africa By A $4.6 Billion Plant
- The Greenest Process Ever
The Future Fuel Will Be Manufactured In South Africa By A $4.6 Billion Plant
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Thousands of hectares of land in South Africa’s Eastern Cape could one day become the world’s largest green ammonia plant. Ammonia, composed of nitrogen and hydrogen, is a frequent fertiliser. Scientists discovered a means to synthesise it in the early 1910s.
Still, before that, the main agricultural fertiliser was guano, bat, or bird excrement, which had to be collected from tropical islands and was in low supply. Ammonia production on a large scale enabled agriculture to thrive, and according to a University of Manitoba study, we wouldn’t be able to produce about half of the world’s food now without it.
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Ammonia is also used to make mining explosives and is vital in many pharmaceutical and cleaning goods. Its production is primarily based on fossil fuels and accounts for 1.8% of world CO2 emissions. However, “green” ammonia can be produced using renewable energy, reducing the carbon impact of agricultural production and opening up the chemical to new applications.
Among these is the use of ammonia as a fuel, which could aid in decarbonizing the shipping industry. This is what the Mandela Bay factory will concentrate on. “It will begin to replace heavy fuel oils on ships and diesel. “That will be the future fuel, especially in the maritime business,” says Colin Loubser, managing director of Hive Energy Africa, which is building the plant.
The Greenest Process Ever
According to Loubser, producing green ammonia is relatively straightforward, requiring only water, air, and energy. Water is separated into hydrogen and oxygen using electrolysis, while nitrogen is extracted using an air separation unit.
Ammonia is created by combining hydrogen and nitrogen. “The process of greening it is that you use renewable energy for this.” You are not making it with fossil fuels, coal, or gas. “It’s a completely green process,” Loubser says.
The facility, expected to begin operations in 2026, will cost $4.6 billion. It will be powered by a nearby solar farm and obtain its water—the massive volumes required to produce ammonia—from a nearby table salt mill that desalinates salt water.
In 2018, the shipping industry accounted for roughly 3% of worldwide CO2 emissions. According to the International Energy Agency, for net zero scenarios to be realised in 2050, ammonia must account for 45% of world energy demand for shipping, implying that it is a vital component of a greener future. Green ammonia, on the other hand, may be burned in existing coal-fired power plants to quickly cut CO2 emissions or in plants designed to run exclusively on ammonia, according to the study. One constraint is that ammonia is a smelly and poisonous gas that must be handled by qualified personnel. When used as a fuel, it emits nitrogen oxides, which can act as greenhouse gases and create air pollution, necessitating the installation of extra technologies to regulate emissions.
Many technologies that will employ green ammonia, including ship engines, are still in development, so production levels are now low. However, output is likely to increase: according to Precedence Research, the green ammonia market will be worth $5.4 billion by 2030, up from $36 million in 2021.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn