Richland, Wash.-A small upstart technology company hopes partnering with the Port of Quincy will open the door for a new way to produce anhydrous ammonia – not only for low-cost fertilizer, but as the renewable energy of the future. Doug McKinley, whose NHThree LLC is located here, told Green Markets the port at Quincy, Wash., wants to build a pilot plant using his technology to produce anhydrous from nitrogen taken from the air, hydrogen from the water, and power from port’s hydro-electricity. “Assuming your power source is non-polluting – which this one is – this is the cleanest way imaginable to produce ammonia,” McKinley asserted. He reported that Port of Quincy has made application for $5 million in startup money from Washington state’s share of the Obama administration’s stimulus fund. “What better use,” he asked, “than pursuing a new source of renewable energy?” McKinley’s “Ammonia – A Workhorse Fertilizer That Is Also an Abundant, Affordable, Emission-free Fuel” pitch, recently presented to the House technology, energy and communications committee in Olympia, was reportedly well-received. He advised the legislators he would need 4,500 gallons of water for a daily output of 10 tons of ammonia. At current ammonia prices, he claims, 10 tons would operate in the black. Production would later increase to 40 tons daily, but the idea of smallness doesn’t bother him. Such small plants, he believes, would overcome safety concerns of railroads and other transporters because they could be located at a small cost near their users. McKinley won’t divulge the details of his method, but points out that making ammonia using hydrogen from water and nitrogen from air has been achieved on an industrial scale in the past. “Our technology is a little different, less expensive and more efficient.” This is why he claims anhydrous ammonia can beat hydrogen as an automobile fuel coming and going. McKinley agrees with scientists that if transportation is to be sustainable over the long term, the fuel must be replaced by something else produced by renewable energy. “In virtually every respect ammonia is superior,” he noted. “It’s easier to store, and easier to transport with thousands of miles of existing pipelines. There are 800 retail outlets for ammonia in the state of Iowa alone. Nothing remotely close to that level of infrastructure exists with hydrogen.” McKinley is hoping his renewable energy approach will find a fit in the Obama administration’s budget, which invests billions in research designed to reduce climate change and guarantees loans for companies that develop clean energy technologies and help the United States move toward energy independence. At a recent White House event, the President told a group of administration officials, industry leaders, and scientists that “you are helping us to build a clean and brighter future. … My administration and our country will support you.”
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