American: Native Empire

Chapter 177: Nitrogen (2)

The reason why Warm Hat became interested in nitrogen was because of his research on dynamite.

Dynamite was made by mixing nitroglycerin with an absorbent material like diatomaceous earth. 

And nitroglycerin was a nitrogen compound.

Until now, most of the fixed nitrogen was obtained from guano and saltpeter in South America. 

These were widely used for various purposes, from natural fertilizers to gunpowder, explosives, and chemical experiments.

The scholars’ concern about the depletion of guano was not unfounded.josei

Warm Hat had a reason to be interested in nitrogen fixation, as he was the inventor of dynamite.

‘There must be a way to fix the nitrogen in the air.’

It was a well-known fact that 78 percent of the air was nitrogen. 

Therefore, Warm Hat was confident.

‘Yes. Let’s do it.’

He was very sorry that his reading time would decrease when he started his research, but he had to earn his keep as a star chemist of the department.

Once he made up his mind, Warm Hat did not hesitate.

“I’m going to research a way to fix nitrogen.”

“That’s a good idea. I’ll support your research as much as you want. I hope you’ll have a good result this time too.”

“Thank you.”

The department head spoke politely to Warm Hat. 

Of course, the department head had a longer career than him, but Warm Hat’s reputation made him unable to treat him lightly.

In fact, Warm Hat was recommended as the new department head, but he declined politely because he didn’t want to bother with tedious work when he didn’t even have time to read books.

The news that Warm Hat started a new research, and that too on nitrogen fixation, spread quickly.

“He’s going to fix the nitrogen in the air?”

“Hmm… I wonder if it’s possible with our current technology.”

“But if it’s Warm Hat… He invented not only the camera but also dynamite, right?”

“That’s true.”

Warm Hat’s research took a long time, so it was very difficult to participate in his research. 

That’s why many chemists flocked to the research on nitrogen fixation.

Thanks to that, the laboratory was opened in no time.

Warm Hat gathered the researchers and said:

“As you all know, the nitrogen molecules in the air are very stable. It’s very difficult to use them to fix nitrogen. If it was easy, the nitrogen fixation method would have been invented long ago.”

Most of the researchers agreed with him.

The idea of using the nitrogen in the air was very old. 

The problem was that the nitrogen molecules were too stable.

“But I think we can now create enough conditions to fix nitrogen. Enough to break the bonds of stable nitrogen molecules.”

Nitrogen molecules were bound by triple bonds. 

To make ammonia, they had to break them all and attach three hydrogen atoms.

The chemists knew this well.

“Our goal is to react nitrogen and hydrogen and make ammonia. This can be used for various purposes, from explosives and gunpowder to natural fertilizers.”

“Hydrogen… Isn’t it dangerous?”

“That’s why we have to be careful with handling it. We must never be careless during the experiment.”

At Warm Hat’s stern warning, the researchers nodded seriously.

“Then let’s start the research.”

***

‘First of all, I have to break the strong bonds of nitrogen molecules. For this, I need high temperature, high pressure, and a catalyst.’

The most important things here were high pressure and catalyst.

High temperature was relatively easy to obtain.

Catalyst was also not a big problem, as long as they experimented.

‘And hydrogen has to be supplied sufficiently…’

Hydrogen could also be supplied by using by-products from petroleum, so he didn’t worry much about it.

The problem was pressure.

‘How much pressure do I need?’

Warm Hat had expected that a few dozen atmospheres of pressure would not be enough to break the strong bond of nitrogen molecules.

He would need at least a hundred atmospheres, or maybe even two or three hundred, of ultra-high pressure.

And when his research on nitrogen fixation had progressed to some extent,

Warm Hat’s ominous hunch was proven right.

“…It seems that the problem is not the temperature or the catalyst.”

“It does seem so.”

They had tried various kinds of catalysts and temperatures well over 1000 degrees Celsius, but there was no progress at all.

Then there were two possibilities.

Either the applied pressure was insufficient, or their current technology was incapable of breaking the bond of nitrogen molecules.

“I think we need to increase the pressure.”

After realizing this, Warm Hat met with the head of the mechanical engineering department.

A figure that was out of place for the office of the head of one of the major departments of the Imperial University greeted Warm Hat.

“It’s been a long time. You’ve been too quiet lately.”

“Ha ha. I’ve been busy…”

“Busy with what? You’ve been reading books most of the time, haven’t you?”

Warm Hat scratched his head at Karl Mayer’s remark. It was true.

For a mere chemist, Warm Hat had read books of a wide range of genres. 

That’s why he had many conversations with various scholars from different fields.

One of them was Karl Mayer.

They also caught up on their old friendship.

“By the way, I heard you started a new research project. Is that why you came to see me?”

“You can’t fool the head of the department. You’re right. I’m working on a research project for nitrogen fixation, and I need much higher pressure than what I have now. I wonder if you can help me with that.”

“Who am I to refuse your request? I’ll do my best to cooperate.”

“Thank you as always.”

Warm Hat bowed his head. 

Many research projects from various departments involved mechanical engineering equipment. 

That’s why there were many cases where they received help from the mechanical engineering department.

The Imperial University had a lot of cooperation between different departments. 

All the departments were among the top in the empire, and with such cooperation, it was inevitable that many achievements came out of the Imperial University.

Karl Mayer kept his promise. 

He immediately started designing and building high-pressure equipment for Warm Hat.

“Please change this part here.”

“Yes, sir.”

Warm Hat interfered with every step of making the mechanical equipment.

‘The process is very important for this research.’

He realized this as he progressed with his research. 

That’s why he put a lot of effort into making the process itself.

Thanks to his meticulous involvement, the constructed process was to Warm Hat’s liking.

And the research resumed.

“The test for stability was done enough, but there could be an accident when high temperature, high pressure, and catalyst are all combined. So be more careful about safety than before.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

With this final warning, the process was activated.

The pressure increased as the research progressed. 100 atmospheres, 150 atmospheres… up to 200 atmospheres.

And when it exceeded 200 atmospheres,

Liquid started dripping from the outlet.

“Huh?”

“It’s coming out!”

“Check what substance it is!”

As Warm Hat shouted, the researchers became busy.

The result was clear in no time.

“It’s ammonia!”

At that word, the researchers who had been anxiously waiting for the result cheered.

“Woah!”

“They really succeeded in synthesizing ammonia from nitrogen in the air!”

“Congratulations, team leader!”

But Warm Hat raised his hand and said calmly.

“The experiment is not over yet. So let’s save the celebration for later, and focus on finding the optimal synthesis conditions for now.”

Then the excitement subsided a bit.

Of course, Warm Hat felt the same as the other researchers.

‘To be honest, it was a fifty-fifty chance, but we really did it.’

And so, a new achievement was added to Warm Hat’s brilliant career.

***

The research did not end with one successful synthesis.

They continued their research to find the optimal synthesis conditions by changing the temperature and catalyst after the synthesis was successful.

At first, they used iron as a catalyst and were able to synthesize ammonia at 1000 degrees Celsius.

But after trying various catalysts, they found that ammonia was synthesized even at 500 degrees Celsius when they used osmium as a catalyst.

As a result, they discovered the golden ratio of 200 atmospheres, 500 degrees Celsius, and osmium catalyst.

And they announced this result to the academic world.

As expected, it caused a huge wave.

“That’s impossible… They can synthesize ammonia from the air?”

“…Now we don’t have to worry about the supply of fixed nitrogen anymore.”

Thanks to this, the arguments of the scholars who had been insisting on the population limit theory all along were instantly discredited.

Of course, Warm Hat knew well. 

That this achievement was only a success at the laboratory level.

They needed to create a process for mass production of this.

Warm Hat built such a process in the Imperial University with the help of engineering departments.

This process took a lot of time, but since they already had enough data, they eventually completed this as well.

And the historic mass production of ammonia using the air nitrogen fixation method began.

Drip drip drip.

“Wow!”

“It’s ammonia!”

The people who gathered to witness this moment looked at the ammonia flowing out of the outlet and cheered loudly.

Watching this, Warm Hat clenched his fist.

***

“They finally developed it.”

Kim Ki-woo nodded his head at the news of mass production of ammonia.

In fact, this air nitrogen fixation method was inherently influenced by the energy price. 

High temperature and high pressure were essential for synthesizing ammonia.

If the energy price went up, the economic viability would also deteriorate greatly.

The hydrogen that went into the ammonia production along with nitrogen was a by-product of the petroleum industry. 

This meant that the production cost would increase if the oil price went up.

However, the current energy price and oil value were very low. 

In other words, the profitability was quite good.

That’s why Kim Ki-woo could order without much hesitation.

“Immediately build a large-scale ammonia production plant. The demand will increase day by day, so prepare to supply without any problems.”

“Yes, I understand.”

As far as Kim Ki-woo remembered, he knew that about 200 million tons of ammonia were produced every year after the 2000s.

Of course, he didn’t need that much yet, but it was certain that the demand for ammonia would increase until then.

Kim Ki-woo’s order was carried out right away. 

Factories with large-scale ammonia production processes built at the Imperial University sprang up all over the country.

And they quickly made fertilizers, explosives, gunpowder, and more using ammonia.

This brought about many changes.

“Ah…”

Those who had been working in the guano-related industry cried out. 

Guano was the one that took the most direct hit from the mass production of ammonia.

In this situation of ultra-low oil prices, guano was no longer needed.

“Haha. Now I don’t have to worry about supply anymore.”

On the other hand, it worked as a boon for most of the other industries. 

The production of fertilizers, gunpowder, and dynamite increased greatly, and the prices actually dropped.

In addition, the overseas export of guano, which had been limited until now, was also lifted. 

Thanks to this, once again, the Wakan Tanka Empire was able to make a lot of money from all over the world.