One of the worst disasters in U.S. history involving a form of ammonia occurred in April 1947 when a ship loaded with ammonium nitrate -- a solid fertlizer composed of ammonia and nitrogen -- caught fire while docked in Texas City, Texas, in April 1947.
In part, the idea is to refine the approach first recognised in the 1930s, which exploits the chemical affinity between carbon dioxide and nitrogen-based molecules such as ammonia or the closely-related amines.
Then in the early 20th Century, German chemist Fritz Haber invented a high temperature-high pressure technique to convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia.