Anhydrous Ammonia

Is your company in need of industrial ammonia? 

Just what is anhydrous ammonia? And how is anhydrous ammonia different from aqua ammonia?

Anhydrous Ammonia (NH₃) – Ammonia is one of the most widely used inorganic chemicals in the world today.  It is used in the production of fertilizers, explosives and polymers.  Additional applications include DeNOx (pollution control), heat treatment, water treatment, chemical processing, and refrigeration uses.

Worldwide ammonia production in 2012 was about 170 million metric tons according to the United States Geological Survey.

Pure ammonia (also known as anhydrous ammonia) is a pungent, colorless gas approximately 40% lighter than air.   It boils at -28ºF.  At atmospheric temperature and pressure, ammonia is a gas, and must be under pressure to maintain a liquid state.

As a user of industrial ammonia, you already may know that among other things, anhydrous ammonia is the building block for all nitrogen-based fertilizers. While the atmosphere is comprised of mostly nitrogen—nearly 80 percent nitrogen, in fact—it is not in a chemically or biologically usable form for plants to absorb the nutrients. 

This is why the production of industrial ammonia and anhydrous ammonia is so important in the fertilizer industry.

Anhydrous ammonia is created using a process known as the Haber-Bosch Method. Nitrogen from the air is affixed to hydrogen to create ammonia. It was developed first by Fritz Haber in the early 1900s and was later adapted by Carl Bosch to be more practically manufactured on a larger scale for more industrial uses like fertilizers and refrigerants. 

Ammonia in this form is a gas or liquid, known as “anhydrous ammonia,” which literally means, “ammonia without water.” It is one of the most widely used inorganic chemicals in the world today.

Our Commitment to Your Safety

Our exceptional safety record is not an accident. Safety is our biggest priority when supplying you with industrial ammonia. This means you don’t have to worry so much about it when you hire Airgas Specialty Products for your delivery or maintenance services. 

Why? Because at Airgas Specialty Products, our safety and yours matters to us.

Just how important is it to us that your team is educated in the proper handling of industrial ammonia? We lead the field in ammonia safety training so you and your employees are knowledgeable and safe. We even can work with your team to create a personalized ammonia training program that is specific to your unique uses of the product.

Generally, ammonia is a very safe product to use. If it weren’t, it wouldn’t be used as much as it is. But as with any other chemical, it is much safer if properly handled to limit exposure. 

Exposure to higher levels of industrial ammonia can have the following effects:

• Irritated skin, eyes, throat, and lungs
• Permanent lung damage
• With prolonged exposure to very high concentrations, even death

Does this have you worried about the bottle of ammonia you have under the sink at home that you use to clean your windows and mirrors? Don’t worry. The ammonia you buy at the store is a solution of aqueous ammonia dissolved in water. It has much lower concentrations of ammonia than the industrial ammonia needed for fertilizers or refrigerants. 

OSHA has set limits of exposure to help protect those who interact with industrial ammonia to prevent these harmful side effects. The acceptable eight-hour exposure limits are 25 parts of ammonia per 1 million parts of air (parts per million, or ppm). 

For higher levels of exposure used in shorter amounts of time, OSHA has set limits as well of 35 ppm of ammonia in 15-minute increments. At Airgas Supply, we can train your team to understand these regulations and provide tools and tactics to limit exposure. 

We take these regulations very seriously. And we take your health very seriously as well. This is why we maintain the highest safety standards and why we make training available to keep you and your employees safe. 

Our exceptional safety record ensures worry-free ammonia delivery and services for your facility. In fact, Airgas Specialty Products leads the market in ammonia safety training – offering customized programs to suit your anhydrous ammonia and aqua ammonia needs from our team of industry experts.

An Airgas Specialty Service Promise

Airgas Specialty Products offers best-in-class ammonia delivery, repairs, pump-outs, tank inspection, and preventative maintenance for all ammonia applications. Our nationwide distribution network provides outstanding delivery reliability as well as short notice and after-hours delivery and service.

Our service promise to you is that we offer superior attention to detail when it comes to supplying or delivering your anhydrous industrial ammonia. 

Whether we are supplying you with industrial ammonia or providing repairs, pump-outs, tank inspections or preventative maintenance, we are ready and willing to help you with all of your industrial ammonia needs.

Our distribution network is far-reaching, spreading across the entire country, and our trained and knowledgeable team provides expert and reliable delivery, training and servicing of this important solution. 

We even offer after-hours delivery, short-notice delivery, and after-hours service because we understand that sometimes it just can’t wait until the next day—or until Monday morning.

There’s no one that understands the importance and necessity of anhydrous industrial ammonia quite like we do. It’s vital to so many different fields, each one of which is essential to our everyday lives. You need to be able to trust your industrial ammonia supply, and you need to be able to trust your delivery service just as much. 

Here at Airgas Specialty Products, we are confident that our team can meet your company’s needs and will surpass all of your service needs and expectations. 

Request a Quote

Request a quote today, and let’s start by showing you how we are able to revolutionize the supply and service of all your industrial ammonia needs.