What are the dangers of ammonium nitrate?
There are certain actions that should be taken when handling ammonium to prevent explosions:
- avoid heating in a confined space;
- avoid localized heating;
- do not expose to strong shock waves from explosives;
- avoid contamination with inorganic material, including chlorides and some metals such as chromium, copper, cobalt and nickel;
How much ammonium nitrate would be lethal to an adult?
The reaction is violent owing to its highly exothermic nature. After the solution is formed, typically at about 83% concentration, the excess water is evaporated off to leave an ammonium nitrate (AN) content of 95% to 99.9% concentration (AN melt), depending on grade.
Why is ammonium nitrate used as a fertilizer?
FEATURED PRODUCTS
- Chemical Pure Ammonium Nitrate (CPAN) Ammonium Nitrate is white prilled crystal, which has strong moisture absorption and agglomeration. ...
- Porous Prilled Ammonium Nitrate (PPAN) The production of Porous Prilled Ammonium Nitrate (PPAN) adopts the technology of KT company of France, and the product is characterized by low content of ...
- Urea. ...
Is a barium nitrate an explosive or a pyrotechnic?
Barium nitrate, being an oxidizer, can be used to make incendiaries, and a very few explosives, but is not itself an explosive.
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Is ammonium nitrate flammable or explosive?
Although it is not technically classified as an explosive or flammable material, under certain conditions, ammonium nitrate can present a significant explosive threat because it is an oxidizer — an oxygen-rich compound that can accelerate fires or explosions.
Can ammonia nitrate explode?
Ammonium Nitrate is a STRONG OXIDIZER and when contaminated with OIL, CHARCOAL or other ORGANIC MATERIALS, can EXPLODE and become SENSITIVE TO SHOCK.
What is the explosive power of ammonium nitrate?
“It has an explosion efficiency of approximately 40% that of TNT i.e. 1 kg of ammonium nitrate will give an equivalent energy release to 0.4 kg of TNT. Thus, 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate would give an explosion equivalent to ~1,100 tonnes of TNT.
Why is ammonium nitrate a good explosive?
Ammonium nitrate does not burn on its own. Instead, it acts as a source of oxygen that can accelerate the combustion (burning) of other materials. For combustion to occur, oxygen must be present. Ammonium nitrate prills provide a much more concentrated supply of oxygen than the air around us.
How do you prevent ammonium nitrate from exploding?
ammonium nitrate and ensure that the conditions that may lead to an explosion are not present. Actions that may help to prevent explosions include: x Avoid heating ammonium nitrate in a confined space (e.g., processes involving ammonium nitrate should be designed to avoid this possibility).
What hazard class is ammonium nitrate?
Class 2 OxidizerIn the most recent revision of NFPA 400, Hazardous Materials Code, the Technical Committee (TC) classified Ammonium Nitrate as a Class 2 Oxidizer.
What happens when ammonium nitrate is mixed with water?
Ammonium nitrate forms a mild acid when mixed with water. This acid can cause irritation to the eyes, nose, and skin.
What temperature does ammonium nitrate explode?
Ammonium nitrate would only explode on its own if its temperature was rapidly raised to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Compared to most combustible materials, ammonium nitrate itself is not exceptionally explosive.
Is ammonium nitrate used in rockets?
Ammonium nitrate: a promising rocket propellant oxidizer.
What is the most explosive chemical?
Azidoazide azideAzidoazide azide is the most explosive chemical compound ever created. It is part of a class of chemicals known as high-nitrogen energetic materials, and it gets its "bang" from the 14 nitrogen atoms that compose it in a loosely bound state. This material is both highly reactive and highly explosive.
Is ammonium nitrate illegal to buy?
Some countries are phasing out or banning the compound because of its potential use in improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. But in the US, you can buy ammonium nitrate on Amazon, at gardening stores, or from agricultural suppliers.
What are two chemicals that explode when mixed?
Peroxides (inorganic), when mixed with combustible materials, barium, sodium, and potassium, form explosives that ignite easily. Phosphorus (P), both red and white, forms explosive mixtures with oxidizing agents. White (also called yellow) P should be stored under water, in glass, because it is pyrophoric.
Where is ammonium nitrate found?
Ammonium nitrate is found as the natural mineral gwihabaite (formerly known as nitrammite) – the ammonium analogue of saltpetre (mineralogial name: niter) – in the driest regions of the Atacama Desert in Chile, often as a crust on the ground or in conjunction with other nitrate, iodate, and halide minerals.
What is the effect of ammonium nitrate on rocket propellant?
One practical consequence of this is that ammonium nitrate formed as solid rocket motor propellant develops cracks, leading to the development of phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN), which incorporates metal halides as stabilisers.
How does ammonium nitrate decompose?
However, it can be induced to decompose explosively by detonation. Large stockpiles of the material can also be a major fire risk due to their supporting oxidation, a situation which can easily escalate to detonation. Explosions are not uncommon: relatively minor incidents occur most years, and several large and devastating explosions have also occurred. Examples include the Oppau explosion of 1921 (one of the largest artificial non-nuclear explosions ), the Texas City disaster of 1947, the 2015 Tianjin explosions in China, and the 2020 Beirut explosion.
What is the process of oxidizing ammonia?
Ammonia produced by the Haber process can be oxidized to nitric acid by the Ostwald process. Another production method is a variant of the nitrophosphate process : The products, calcium carbonate and ammonium nitrate, may be separately purified or sold combined as calcium ammonium nitrate .
How much humidity does ammonium nitrate have?
Ammonium nitrate has a critical relative humidity of 59.4%, above which it will absorb moisture from the atmosphere. Therefore, it is important to store ammonium nitrate in a tightly sealed container. Otherwise, it can coalesce into a large, solid mass. Ammonium nitrate can absorb enough moisture to liquefy.
What is the formula for ammonium nitrate?
Chemical compound. Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula NH 4 NO 3. It is a white crystalline solid consisting of ions of ammonium and nitrate. It is highly soluble in water and hygroscopic as a solid, although it does not form hydrates.
What explosives were used in the Sterling Hall bombing?
Ammonium nitrate-based explosives were used in the Sterling Hall bombing in Madison, Wisconsin, 1970, the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, the 2011 Delhi bombings, the 2011 bombing in Oslo, and the 2013 Hyderabad blasts .
What is the worst chemical disaster?
Explosions of stored ammonium nitrate are responsible for some of the worst chemical disasters on record. Several of these incidents, including two in Germany in 1921, occurred during attempts to break up large piles of solidified or caked ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate mixtures using explosives. In both cases, the initial blast intended ...
Can ammonium nitrate explode?
EPA 550-F-97-002d, p. 5 (December 1997). Ammonium nitrate will not explode due to the friction and impact found in normal handling, but it can be detonated under heat and confinement or severe shock.
What is Ammonium Nitrate (AN)?
AN is used as a fertiliser in the agriculture industry. Another major use is as a component of industrial explosive mixtures and blasting agents used in mining, quarrying and civil construction. Liquid AN (AN dissolved in water) may be sold as fertilizer. Solid AN is produced in the form of prills (beads), grains, granules, or crystals.
Misconceptions around AN
Because of the Beirut incident and because of other incidents that have happened in the past, AN is often wrongly considered as an explosive which is not the case. The fact that AN could explode does not make it an explosive.
Regulations around storage and handling
AN is typically stored in bags of approximately 1 tonne. The picture below ( AN storage) shows AN in bags stored outside.
Beirut Incident in August 2020 – What went wrong
Based on the historical major incidents involving AN, explosions were the result two major classes of incidents:
Summary
Due to the Beirut explosion and other explosions that have occurred in the past, there is a general conception that AN is highly explosive leading to imposing excessive and sometimes wrong measures.
Oklahoma City Bombing
In 1993 a fiery stand off between the FBI and the Branch Davidian Cult in Waco, Texas resulted in the death of 75 followers of the cult, including many children.
Improvised Explosive Devices (IED)
An IED is any type of homemade device that is designed to cause death or injury through explosives alone or in combination with toxic chemicals, biological toxins, or radiological material.
Construction Projects
Some construction companies now prefer ammonium nitrate explosives over dynamite.
Overview
Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula NH4NO3. It is a white crystalline solid consisting of ions of ammonium and nitrate. It is highly soluble in water and hygroscopic as a solid, although it does not form hydrates. It is predominantly used in agriculture as a high-nitrogen fertilizer. Global production was estimated at 21.6 million tonnes in 2017.
Occurrence
Ammonium nitrate is found as the natural mineral gwihabaite (formerly known as nitrammite) – the ammonium analogue of saltpetre (mineralogial name: niter) – in the driest regions of the Atacama Desert in Chile, often as a crust on the ground or in conjunction with other nitrate, iodate, and halide minerals. Ammonium nitrate was mined there until the Haber–Bosch process made it possible to synthesize nitrates from atmospheric nitrogen, thus rendering nitrate mining obsolete.
Production, reactions and crystalline phases
The industrial production of ammonium nitrate entails the acid-base reaction of ammonia with nitric acid:
HNO3 + NH3 → NH4NO3
Ammonia is used in its anhydrous form (a gas) and the nitric acid is concentrated. The reaction is violent owing to its highly exothermic nature. After the solution is formed, typically at about 83% …
Applications
Ammonium nitrate is an important fertilizer with NPK rating 34-0-0 (34% nitrogen). It is less concentrated than urea (46-0-0), giving ammonium nitrate a slight transportation disadvantage. Ammonium nitrate's advantage over urea is that it is more stable and does not rapidly lose nitrogen to the atmosphere.
Ammonium nitrate readily forms explosive mixtures with varying properties when combined wit…
Safety, handling, and storage
Numerous safety guidelines are available for storing and handling ammonium nitrate. Health and safety data are shown on the safety data sheets available from suppliers and from various governments.
Pure ammonium nitrate does not burn, but as a strong oxidizer, it supports and accelerates the combustion of organic (and some inorganic) material. It should not be stored near combustible …
Health hazards
Ammonium nitrate is not hazardous to health and is usually used in fertilizer products.
Ammonium nitrate has an LD50 of 2217 mg/kg, which for comparison is about two-thirds that of table salt.
Disasters
Ammonium nitrate decomposes, non-explosively, into the gases nitrous oxide and water vapor when heated. However, it can be induced to decompose explosively by detonation. Large stockpiles of the material can also be a major fire risk due to their supporting oxidation, a situation which can easily escalate to detonation. Explosions are not uncommon: relatively minor incidents occur most years, and several large and devastating explosions have also occurred. Examples include …
See also
• Resource recovery
What Is Ammonium Nitrate (An)?
- AN is used as a fertiliser in the agriculture industry. Another major use is as a component of industrial explosive mixtures and blasting agents used in mining, quarrying and civil construction. Liquid AN (AN dissolved in water) may be sold as fertilizer. Solid AN is produced in the form of prills (beads), grains, granules, or crystals. High densit...
Misconceptions Around An
- Because of the Beirut incident and because of other incidents that have happened in the past, AN is often wrongly considered as an explosive which is not the case. The fact that AN could explode does not make it an explosive. In order to clarify this, we have to compare AN with other products such as Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil (ANFO) which is basically 94.5 % AN mixed with 5.5% diesel …
Regulations Around Storage and Handling
- AN is typically stored in bags of approximately 1 tonne. The picture below (AN storage) shows AN in bags stored outside. International standards such as NFPA 400 NFPA 400 – Hazardous Materials Code and NFPA 495 NFPA 495 – Explosive Materials Code do provide detailed guidelines. NFPA 400 formulates regulations for indoor storage of AN as briefly illustrated in th…
Beirut Incident in August 2020 – What Went Wrong
- Based on the historical major incidents involving AN, explosions were the result two major classes of incidents: 1. Explosion due to an external severe shock 2. External Fire spreading into the AN or to a mixture of AN The Beirut AN Explosion resulted from a fire which broke out in a warehouse in the Port of Beirut where 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate were stored. The AN that had been s…
Summary
- Due to the Beirut explosion and other explosions that have occurred in the past, there is a general conception that AN is highly explosive leading to imposing excessive and sometimes wrong measures. Though history has shown that explosions can occur, not only with AN but also with other oxidisers, AN incidents could occur if there are large amounts (hundreds of tonnes) of AN i…