s.+levey+energy+and+water+wiki.

the haber-bosch process.
//the problem at hand.// our fossil fuels [i.e. coal, natural gas, wood, oil, et cetera..] have been useful to us since day one, helping us provide heat and energy for every day activities. today, fossil fuels have become more sacred to us. the problem about fossil fuels and energy is that we've used so much of them that they're now becoming more scarce around the world. there's hardly anything to replace them now, so strategies to try and reserve as much of the fossil fuels have been created. since we have burned all of those fossil fuels and emitted so much CO2 from them, we've changed the atmosphere and started a global climate change.

//the driving force behind this problem.// unfortunately, one of the majour factors in this problem is us, and everyone else who lives on this earth with us. so much water, energy, and fossil fuels have gone to waste over the years. think about how many times you've had to make your showers shorter, or how many times your parents have reminded you to turn off the lights and television when you leave the room. each time that you actually followed your parents instructions, you were helping the factors that make up this problem. other reasons for this problem include cars. we use gasoline to run our vehicles, which emits CO2 that is hurting the atmosphere as we speak.

//what people are doing/not doing to help solve this problem.// some people have taken drastic measures to find a solution for this problem. they reduce the amount of times that they use their cars monthly and use less electricity [like air conditioners]. not many people realize this, but if we only used the lights that are in the same room that we're in, or we carpool when going places, or anything like that, we could be helping this problem.

//the haber-bosch process.// the haber-bosch process is the reaction of nitrogen and hydrogen over an iron catalyst, or a support, to produce ammonia. hydrogen is obtained from the decomposition of methane by heating, and nitrogen is obtained from the distillation of liquefied air. the iron catalyst provides an alternative pathway for the reaction between hydrogen and nitrogen to occur. this means that a lower temperature can be used without compensating the rate too much. the reaction takes place on the surface, in the grains of the iron. both nitrogen and hydrogen attach to the iron, making the two elements react easily withone another. a high pressure of 200 to 400 atmpospheres is used to make this reaction happen, along with high temperatures, usually between 400 degrees celcius and 500 degrees celcius.

 3H2 + N2 --> 2NH3

the haber-bosch     process is important because ammonia is difficult to produce. even though about 78% of the air we breathe is nitrogen, the gas is relatively unreactive because nitrogen molecules are held together by strong triple bonds. it wasn’t until the early 20th century that this method was developed by two german chemists, haber and bosch, to harness the atmospheric abundance of nitrogen to create ammonia. the nitrogen can then be oxidized [to convert an element into an oxide; combine with oxygen] to make the nitrates and nitrites essential for the production of nitrate fertilizer. these    artificial fertilizers allow agricultural industries to provide a greater food supply to meet the needs of a growing population. the fertilizers improve the growth and productiveness of plants and enhance the soil's fertility by replenishing the soils nutrient supply. the haber-bosch process produces over one hundred million tons of nitrogen fertilizer every year, mostly in the form of anhydrous ammonia or ammonium nitrate. 2% of the world's annual energy supply is consumed in the haber-bosch process. the fertilizer is responsible for sustaining **more than one third** of the earth's population. the generation of hydrogen using electrolysis [the passage of an electric current through an electrolyte with subsequent migration of positively and negatively charged ions to the negative and positive electrodes] of water, using renewable energy, isn't currently competitive cost-wise with hydrogen from fossil fuels, such as natural gas, and is responsible for only 4% of current hydrogen production.