Thermal Stability of Ammonium Nitrate in Two-Component Mixtures with Powdered and Fine-Grained Materials

Abstract

Abstract. Ammonium nitrate(V) (AN, NH4NO3) is widely and widely used in the chemical industry, in agriculture as a fertilizer, explosive for military and civil purposes (e.g. in mining) or as a solid propellant [1, 2]. Storage of ammonium nitrate poses many problems, as it may be hazardous. This was proven, for example, by the explosion in 2020 in Beirut. Ammonium nitrate was stored in a warehouse at the port among other wares and an unfortunate turn of events caused a huge explosion. The explosion contributed to the formation of a 140-meter crater and an earthquake with a magnitude of 3.3 on the Richter scale. This explosion was classified as the third most destructive urban explosion of all time, after the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II [3, 4], as the mixtures of oils (fuel or gas) and a concentrated form of nitrogen fertilizer  ammonium nitrate form explosives [5]. The dangerous properties of AN have been extensively studied. It is known that pure AN is stable at room temperature but may explode when mixed with impurities in a confined space or under fire-hazard conditions [1]. The research aimed to analyze the changes occurring in two-component mixtures with ammonium nitrate and powdered or fine-grained materials and to assess the effect of such an admixture on the fertilizer. Thermal analysis was used to carry out the TG-DSC tests.