Germany. Fritz Haber, at BASF (already a world leader in the chemical sector), successfully captures atmospheric nitrogen and produces ammonia, useful as a fertilizer. The process is carried out by a device only one meter tall, which for the first time operates for five hours continuously without interruption. BASF, realizing the importance of the invention for agriculture, assigns Carl Bosch the task of accelerating the engineering work on Haber’s invention. In just five years, BASF produces fertilizer on an industrial scale, and Haber wins the Nobel Prize. The Haber-Bosch process becomes famous and fundamental worldwide. The Haber-Bosch process is estimated to consume 1% of the world’s energy. At the end of the 20th century, approximately 45% of the world’s population (3 billion people) consumes a diet dependent on the Haber-Bosch process.
