Analisis Penilaian Daur Hidup pada Produksi Amonia Hijau dan Amonia Konvensional sebagai Upaya Mitigasi Dampak Lingkungan

Abstract

Ammonia is essential in various industrial sectors, especially in fertilizer production; however, its traditional production method, the Haber–Bosch process, is highly energy-intensive and reliant on fossil fuels, resulting in significant greenhouse gas emissions. This study aims to compare the environmental impacts of producing 1 kg of green ammonia via transition metal–based photocatalysis with conventional ammonia produced through the Haber–Bosch process. The assessment was carried out using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach, following ISO 14040 standards, and focusing on a gate-to-gate system boundary. The research employed a descriptive quantitative method combined with laboratory experiments, and the analysis utilized SimaPro 9.0 software with the CML-IA baseline method. The results indicate that green ammonia production has considerably lower environmental impacts. In terms of abiotic depletion (fossil fuels), the production of green ammonia required 479.919 MJ, while conventional ammonia required 1,898.485 MJ. The global warming potential (GWP100a) for green ammonia was 44.584 kg CO₂-equivalent, compared to 175.531 kg CO₂-equivalent for conventional ammonia. Eutrophication impacts were 0.2201 kg PO₄-equivalent for green ammonia versus 0.856 kg PO₄-equivalent for conventional ammonia. The values for photochemical oxidation were 0.00727 kg C₂H₄-equivalent for green ammonia and 0.0526 kg C₂H₄-equivalent for conventional ammonia. These reductions are primarily attributed to the absence of direct fossil fuel use in the photocatalytic process. The findings suggest that photocatalytic ammonia synthesis has significant potential to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, thereby supporting the transition to sustainable industrial practices. Future research should concentrate on pilot-scale testing, catalyst stability, and integration with renewable energy systems to improve scalability and environmental performance.