What is Ammonia?

In response to plans to build at least two major new ammonia facilities in the Coastal Bend region, the Coastal Bend Current highlights the chemical’s uses, production process, major producers, and the serious health and safety risks associated with its production, storage and transportation.

Ammonia is a colorless gas chemically known as NH₃ with a distinct, pungent smell. Up to 80% of all ammonia produced worldwide is used to make agricultural fertilizers. Industrial applications account for the rest of ammonia use. Ammonia is a key ingredient in products such as plastics and fibers; explosives; and refrigeration and cleaning. Ammonia is also an ingredient in some pharmaceuticals, dyes, and resins.

Producing ammonia relies on a process called Haber-Bosch, where nitrogen pulled from the air is reacted with hydrogen under high pressure and temperature. The hydrogen is typically produced from a methane gas feedstock, via a process which also yields CO₂. The nitrogen and hydrogen gases are combined at around 200 atmospheres of pressure (the pressure a person would experience a mile under water) and temperatures between 750–900 °F (around the heat level of lava). This results in ammonia gas, which is then cooled and condensed into a liquid for storage or more processing.

The Haber-Bosch process is energy intensive and relies on fossil fuels. Globally, ammonia production consumes about 2% of the world’s energy, and contributes around 2% of global CO₂ emissions. For every ton of ammonia produced, around 2.5 tons of CO₂ are emitted. While some producers have invested in so-called “green ammonia” facilities — utilizing hydrogen derived from water electrolysis powered by wind or solar energy, thus eliminating CO₂ emissions — these facilities nonetheless continue to require enormous amounts of water and electricity. Producing one gallon of ammonia requires about 1.5 gallons of water, while producing one ton of ammonia requires enough electricity to power an average home for a month.

It’s currently estimated that the world produces around 250 million metric tons of ammonia per year. Many countries produce it, but a few lead the pack; China is the single largest producer, followed by India, the U.S., and Russia. On the corporate level, ammonia production is concentrated among a group of large chemical and fertilizer companies. Norway’s Yara International is one of the world’s largest fertilizer companies, and produces and trades a huge volume of ammonia globally. In the U.S., major ammonia players include CF Industries, Nutrien, BASF, SABIC, and Koch, among others.

While ammonia is produced in large quantities around the globe, working with or near ammonia can be extremely dangerous. Ammonia is a corrosive, toxic gas that can cause severe injuries on contact. If inhaled even briefly at high concentrations, it irritates the respiratory tract and can cause chemical burns to the lungs. Exposure to anhydrous ammonia (gas without any water content) can burn skin and eyes and cause serious lung damage, and in high doses can be fatal. Chemical-resistant suits, goggles, and respirators are standard equipment for workers handling concentrated ammonia.

Beyond toxicity, the process of ammonia production also poses major risks. The Haber-Bosch process involves extreme conditions under which accidents can be catastrophic. Although ammonia itself is not highly flammable in normal conditions, it can ignite at certain concentrations. In an enclosed space, an ammonia leak that builds up and finds an ignition source can explode, while ammonia storage tanks or pipelines can rupture, and if heated by fire can explode, sending shrapnel and toxic gas over a wide area.

Indeed, numerous accidents at ammonia facilities have resulted in worker injuries and fatalities, including at a CF Industries ammonia plant in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, where a large pressure vessel failed and exploded, killing one worker and injuring seven others. In other incidents, ammonia leaks have harmed workers through inhalation.

But the dangers of ammonia are not confined to plant workers; ammonia production and storage facilities also pose serious risks to nearby communities. Ammonia is typically stored and transported in large quantities, meaning ignition can yield massive explosions, or that an ammonia release can form a dangerous toxic cloud.

A high-profile case was that of the West Fertilizer Company explosion in West, Texas, in 2013, where a fire broke out at a facility that held tanks of anhydrous ammonia and large stocks of ammonium nitrate. The resulting blast was devastating, leveling dozens of homes and a school in the surrounding town, killing 15 people and injuring 200 more. The disaster turned a significant portion of West into rubble.

More recently, an incident in 2023 demonstrated the danger of ammonia in transit. In September 2023, a tanker truck carrying anhydrous ammonia crashed in Teutopolis, Illinois, causing a massive leak of the chemical. About 4,000 gallons of liquid ammonia were released from the tanker, quickly turning into a poisonous gas cloud that spread over nearby areas. The accident killed five people, including two young children. Authorities had to evacuate over 500 residents as the ammonia plume moved through the community.

The bottom line? Ammonia production is extremely hazardous, and the risk extends far beyond the factory fence line. Accidents have injured and killed workers as well as civilians, destroyed property, and contaminated the environment. Emergency planners classify anhydrous ammonia as a toxic inhalation hazard, and production facilities are typically required to have risk management plans and community alert systems.

As plans to build at least two major new ammonia production facilities in the Coastal Bend proceed — the proposed Avina plant near Robstown and Calallen, and the proposed YaREN plant near the Ingleside Primary School — it will be critical to closely scrutinize each proposal to help ensure that the facilities’ neighbors, as well as the broader community, are fully informed of the hazards. To learn more about Avina, contact Concerned Citizens of Robstown and Calallen; to learn more about YaREN, reach out to the Coastal Watch Association.