| World production |
130 million tonnes. |
| UK |
1.3 million tonnes. |
| (2000 figures) |
| Ammonia is one of the
most important bulk chemicals because of its role in the production
of fertiliser and hence of food. It is produced in over 80 countries
worldwide, the major producers are shown in this graph. |
Over the past 30 years
the production of ammonia has moved from sites in developed countries
to those in less developed countries, in order to be closer to the
main markets for fertiliser (e.g. China, India, Indonesia). Less
than half of all ammonia production now takes place in developed
countries, whereas in the mid 1970s the figure was closer to three
quarters.
Ammonia is a naturally produced substance, part of the nitrogen
cycle. The 130 million tonnes manufactured annually is estimated
to be less than 5% of all the ammonia produced naturally within
the nitrogen cycle. |
|
