The Harbor process (or Haber-Bosch Process) is an equilibrium process. [1] It combines nitrogen from the air with hydrogen derived mainly from methane to produce ammonia. [2]  The ammonia from this process is used frequently in the agricultural field for its rich nitrogen.

[3] This process was used to create ammonia during World War I. The process was designed by a chemist named Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch who came from Germany. [5][4] The Harbor process was used to significantly extend the time period of World War I, by being used as a weapon for the Germans for their explosives. The Germans were blockaded and they lost their main sources of nitrogen so Fritz and Carl Bosch designed the Harber-Bosch Process to take nitrogen from the air.

[3] The formula for the Harbor process is N2(g) + 3H2(g) <--> 2NH3(g) + 92 e. Because the energy is in the product, it is exothermic. According to Le Châtelier’s Principle, this means that the reaction must be heated to 500 C and the pressure must be increased at 200 atm in order to receive energy on the right side.

However, to get the pressure at such a high position, it would cost a lot of money. You have to make extremely strong pipes and containment vessels. They are extremely expensive to build and preserve, plus you must be careful not to over use the pressure, or else you would have to pay more than what you make.

This process uses Catalysts to help speed it up. The two main types used are osmium and ruthenium. They do not affect the rate of the reaction with the equilibrium, but they do make the reaction period shorter.

Resource Sites

[1]  http://www.chemguide.co.uk/physical/equilibria/haber.html

[2]  http://www.rmtech.net/uses_of_ammonia.htm

[3]  http://haberchemistry.tripod.com/

[4]  http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2011/May/23051101.asp

[5]  http://www.idsia.ch/~juergen/haberbosch.html