German engineer who developed industrial scale-up; Nobel Prize 1931
Alwin Mittasch
Chemist who found effective catalysts at BASF
Plate 077
1909–1913
Karlsruhe and Ludwigshafen, Germany
No photograph is shown for this exhibition. The museum displays an image only where it can show the object honestly.
About this date
Fritz Haber demonstrated ammonia synthesis in 1909. Carl Bosch scaled it up at BASF, and the Oppau plant began production in 1913.
About credit
Haber is also known for leading German chemical warfare in the First World War, which makes his legacy deeply contested.
Chapter II
The world before
Life before Synthetic Fertiliser (Haber–Bosch)
Farmers relied on manure, legumes and natural deposits such as guano and Chilean nitrate to restore soil nitrogen.
II
The human achievement
How it came about
Haber showed that nitrogen and hydrogen could be combined on an iron-based catalyst at high pressure. Bosch designed steel reactors that withstood the conditions. Production began in 1913.
III
Understanding the invention
How it works
Synthetic Fertiliser (Haber–Bosch), explained in two steps.
01
Step 01 of 02
Fixing nitrogen
Air is 78% nitrogen but plants cannot use it as a gas; it must be turned into a compound.
Fixing nitrogen
Catalyst and pressure
IV
The transformation
What changed for humanity
Food
Crop yields rose dramatically in the 20th century.
Environment
Excess fertiliser pollutes rivers and seas, and production uses about 1–2% of world energy.
It is often said that about half the people alive today are fed by crops grown with synthetic nitrogen. It also produces explosives and large energy use.
V
Before and after
Life before and after Synthetic Fertiliser (Haber–Bosch)
Before
Limited by natural nitrogen.
After
Nitrogen made on demand.
On larger screens, drag the divider (or use the arrow keys) to give more room to the world before or after.