"John B." wrote in message
...
On 13 Jun 2015 01:08:44 -0300, Mike Spencer
wrote:


John B. writes:

Hydro-carbon gas is a many slandered substance, but when you talk
about "pipe line" gas it is usually mostly Ethane and Methane. In
Indonesia they use "gas" to make fertilizer but I'm not sure
whether
they are using strictly ethane-methane of something richer.

Since neither of those (nor other natural has) contains significant
amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus or potassium, there must be more to
the story than that one sentence reveals.

I'm not a chemist so I can't argue one way or the other. All I can
say
is that I know of two "fertilizer plants" in Indonesia that made
fertilizer from natural gas. I seem to remember the "Habor, or maybe
Haber, process" being mentioned.
--
cheers,

John B.

The Haber Process turns nitrogen from the air and hydrogen from
natural gas into ammonia, which can then be converted into solid urea
for fertilizer.
http://www.chemguide.co.uk/physical/...ria/haber.html

German chemists developed this and the method for making gasoline from
coal during the wars when they were cut off from petroleum. At the
time they weren't economical for nations with better access to raw
materials but they have become so as the natural supply diminished.

-jsw