Turning Air into Bread: The Good, Bad, and Ugly by Victor Uzochukwu

The twentieth century saw several important scientific breakthroughs. Discoveries like the radio,
television, airplanes, internet, and Alexander Fleming’s antibiotics rank among the most prominent. However,
they cannot be considered the most significant scientific interventions of the twentieth century. Neither of these
inventions could have provided food to sustain population growth from 1.6 billion to an estimated 6 billion people
in the last century. Nor would any of these innovations feed an estimated 3 billion more people by 2050. Most
people in industrialized nations in this era of food overproduction may not recognize the immense impacts of the
extraordinary visions of Fritz Haber and the ingenuity of Carl Bosch. Through the laboratory of these great
scientists, starvation was turned into abundance – air into bread.
Nitrogen (N) is the most important essential element required by plants, It is also the most deficient in
soils (Stevenson & Cole, 1999). Global food production in the early 20th century was largely dependent on
biologically fixed N and N released from organic materials. In 1904 Fritz Haber – a German professor of physical
chemistry – having recognized the need to increase crop yields to meet the dietary needs of a rising population,
began works on ammonium synthesis
Haber’s works focused on the synthesis of gaseous N with elemental hydrogen to produce ammonia. In
his Nobel lecture given on June 2, 1920, Haber stated “We are concerned with a chemical phenomenon of the
simplest possible kind; gaseous nitrogen combines with gaseous hydrogen in simple quantitative terms to produce
ammonia. The three substances involved have been well known to chemists for over a hundred years. During the
second half of the century each of them has been studied over hundreds of times” (Haber, 1920)
Frankly, very few chemical equations appear as simple as N 2 + 3H2 = 2NH3.
The leaders of German chemical giants Badische Anilin- Und Soda-Fabrik (BASF) – the company to sponsor
Haber’s procedure – were skeptical about the possibility of a high temperature and pressure synthesis. It was Carl
Bosch, a chemical engineer with BASF, who first agreed to Haber’s proposal. When asked by the leaders of BASF
what he thought about Haber’s high-pressure synthesis Bosch responded "I believe it can go. I know exactly the
capability of the steel industry, it should be risked”. On July 3, 1909, Haber successfully demonstrated the synthesis
of ammonia at high temperature and pressure in the presence of Iron catalyst – a breakthrough that enriched the
earth. Subsequently, Bosch worked tirelessly to fabricate an apparatus strong enough to withstand high pressure
and large enough to produce ammonia on a commercial scale. Industrial production of ammonia commenced on
September 13, 1913 (Smil, 2001).
Interestingly, about 80% of Haber’s N are today used in the production of fertilizers. Fertilizer N is
currently an indispensable component of global food production, evident in the use of approximately 100 Tg N
from the Haber-Bosch process for food production in 2005 alone (Galloway et al., 2008). The enterprising works of
Haber and Bosch have fed an estimated 4 billion people (Erisman et al., 2008). Haber’s ammonia synthesis has also
made possible the industrial production of various commodities including nylons, plastics, resins, dyes, animal feed
supplements, and explosives (Erisman et al., 2008; Galloway et al., 2008). It is, however, relevant to note that
Haber’s ammonium synthesis has equally led to food overproduction and waste. Further, Haber’s indispensable
innovation has also exerted immense detrimental impacts on the environment.
Haber’s vision leading to his works on ammonium synthesis was clear – to increase global food
production (Smil, 2001). What Haber did not envision, however, was the avalanche of changes that have followed.
The effects of Haber’s ammonium synthesis is resident in our environment today; A 78% population growth since
1970 has plateaued N fertilizer production by 120% (Galloway et al., 2008). Increased fertilizer use is degrading
the environment, destroying species habitat, and has led to the loss of biodiversity. Erisman et al (2008) estimate
that of the 100 Tg N from Haber-Bosch process used in global agriculture in 2005, only 17 Tg N could be accounted
for in human food. This implies the continuous loss of applied N to the environment as ammonia, nitric and nitrous
oxides. Galloway et al (2008) estimates an increase in nitrate and ammonia emissions from 34 Tg N yr-1 in 1860 to
110 Tg N yr-1 in 1995. These emissions are expected to rise to about 200 Tg N emission per year by 2050 (Galloway
et al., 2008).
Leaching of nitrates from fertilizer applied soils is a rising environmental concern in the United States
and the industrialized world. Nitrate may leach from fertilizer applied soils into surface or ground waters
promoting algal bloom, and consequent declines in water quality (Erisman et al., 2008). High amounts of nitrate in
drinking water may result in methemoglobinemia. Nitrate leaching into surface waters is equally responsible for
the loss of aquatic bodies and species habitat.
 In his Nobel lecture, Haber emphasized, “it was clear that the demand for fixed nitrogen, which at the
beginning of this century could be satisfied with a few hundred thousand tons a year, must increase to millions of
tons”(Haber, 1920). He stated this as the motivation for his works on ammonium synthesis. Haber, however, left
unmentioned his desire to provide the raw materials needed for the manufacture of explosives (Erisman et al.,
2008; Smil, 2001). It is important to point out the inexplicable role Haber’s N played in the deaths of millions of
people during the first and second world wars. Today, explosives made from Haber’s ammonium are used in
warfare as weapons of mass destruction. Despite this, one can rightly argue that the Haber-Bosch process has
sustained more lives than it has destroyed.
The ingenuity that feeds the world must be complemented by measures that can sustain the earth and its
inhabitants. As much as it is the chief goal of man to meet his daily caloric needs by ‘any possible means’ it is
equally his responsibility to sustain the natural environment upon which their lives depends ‘by every possible
means’.