Safety Aspects

Ammonia, being a polar, hydrophilic molecule, can present several problems when it comes to its interaction with water, thus creating a health and safety issue for living organisms. Moreover, ammonia usually is distributed in the liquid form at medium pressures (>0.8MPa at atmospheric temperature) or refrigerated conditions. When leaks of liquid ammonia occur, the liquid starts transforming to a gaseous state, reducing the temperature in the process, and creating thermal issues for equipment, materials and living entities. This effect combined with the high reactivity of ammonia with various materials makes it a chemical that requires proper understanding before it is employed for either fertilizing, refrigeration, processes or fuelling applications. Furthermore, chemicals obtained from the use of ammonia such as nitric acid, alkaline streams, nitrogen oxides and even particle matter need also to be addressed for adequate development and implementation of equipment using this molecule. Therefore, this chapter is dedicated to several health and safety parameters required to understand and attempt the use of ammonia, minimizing risks and elongating life expectancies of equipment, materials and systems whilst ensuring safe conditions for living organisms including human beings.