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Chemistry

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    $\begingroup$ Challenges of technology, where the solution is missing for decades, are very seldom solved by a single Q/A $\endgroup$
    – Poutnik
    Commented Jul 20, 2023 at 6:04
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    $\begingroup$ @Poutnik I am not solving any technological challenges but I am asking a simple chemistry question: "What are the disadvantages of CH4 and NH3 compared to H2 as a reducing agent in metal making?" If you feel deterred by the background I put in the question body, either ignore it or delete it, please. I edited the title to emphasize that question. $\endgroup$
    – tobalt
    Commented Jul 20, 2023 at 6:32
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    $\begingroup$ Aside from chemical disadvantages, using ammonia sounds like an energetically expensive solution, like using ethanol from corn as car fuel. $\endgroup$
    – Buck Thorn ♦
    Commented Jul 20, 2023 at 7:45
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    $\begingroup$ Well, it would help to define "chemical disadvantage". Ultimately you might reduce this to a question of cost (capital), which might include environmental costs, or complexity, which might include factors such as safety, time to build a plant, practical limits to the scale of the process etc. $\endgroup$
    – Buck Thorn ♦
    Commented Jul 20, 2023 at 9:33
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    $\begingroup$ @BuckThorn I am not after things like storage or transportation in this chemistry question. It is really about trying to reduce a piece of metal ore with CH4 or NH3 as opposed to C or H2. Does that work worse, i.e. requires higher temps or is slower, i.e. ultimately less economical? $\endgroup$
    – tobalt
    Commented Jul 20, 2023 at 9:56