Ammonium nitrate: Feedstocks
All ammonia, half of it burnt first
What this tab covers What it is made from and what it feeds: the raw materials and energy per tonne with their share of cost (linked to the commodity table), who is low-cost and why, and the chemicals made from it.AN is all ammonia: about 0.43-0.44 t per tonne, half used directly and half burned to nitric acid first. Ammonia cost, and so gas or coal cost, therefore decides competitiveness. Russia's cheap gas explains its dominance. Nitric acid plants need platinum-rhodium catalyst gauzes and, under EU rules, N2O abatement catalysts.
Inputs per tonne
| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N Nitrogen (ammonia) | about 0.43-0.44 t per t AN (0.21 t direct, 0.22 t via nitric acid) | nitrogen source | about 70-85% of cash cost (indicative) | stoichiometry; nitrogen tile |
| Gas Natural gas | about 14-15 MMBtu per t AN (0.44 x about 33 MMBtu/t NH3, indicative) | energy and hydrogen for ammonia | via ammonia | USDA ERS via nitrogen tile (indicative) |
| Pt Platinum | losses of about 0.1-0.2 g Pt per t HNO3, mostly recovered (indicative) | ammonia oxidation catalyst in nitric acid | about 1-3% (indicative) | indicative |
| CaO Lime | about 0.2-0.25 t per t CAN (indicative) | diluent and liming agent | small | indicative |
Who is low-cost, and why
Russian producers on cheap domestic gas sit at the bottom, then US Gulf plants on Henry Hub gas. European producers are high-cost and set prices when gas is expensive. Indian plants pay pooled LNG-linked gas prices or import ammonia.