Editing Industrial processes (section)

==Chemical processes by main basic material==
{{Main|Chemical process}}
Certain chemical process yield important basic materials for society, e.g., ([[cement]], [[steel]], [[aluminum]], and [[fertilizer]]). However, these chemical reactions contribute to [[climate change]] by emitting [[carbon dioxide]], a [[greenhouse gas]], through chemical reactions, as well as through the combustion of [[fossil fuels]] to generate the high temperatures needed to reach the [[activation energy|activation energies]] of the chemical reactions.

===Cement (the paste within concrete)===
* '''[[Calcination]]''' – [[Limestone]], which is largely composed of fossilized [[calcium carbonate]] (CaCO<sub>3</sub>), breaks down at high temperatures into useable [[calcium oxide]] (CaO) and carbon dioxide gas ({{CO2}}), which gets released as a [[by-product]]. This chemical reaction, called calcination, figures most prominently in creating [[cement]] (the paste within [[concrete]]). The reaction is also important in providing calcium oxide to act as a chemical [[flux (metallurgy)|flux]] (removal of impurities) within a [[blast furnace]].
:{{chem2|CaCO3(s) → CaO(s) + CO2(g)}}

===Steel===
* '''[[Smelting]]''' – Inside a [[blast furnace]], [[carbon monoxide]] (CO) is released by combusting [[coke (fuel)|coke]] (a high-carbon derivative of [[coal]]) and removes the undesired oxygen (O) within [[ore]]s. {{CO2}} is released as a by-product, carrying away the oxygen and leaving behind the desired pure metal. Most prominently, [[blast furnace#Process engineering and chemistry|iron smelting]] is how [[steel]] (largely iron with small amounts of carbon) is created from mined [[iron ore]] and coal.
:{{chem2|Fe2O3(s) + 3 CO(g) → 2 Fe(s) + 3 CO2(g)}}<ref name="Formulae2">{{cite web |title=Blast Furnace |publisher=Science Aid |url=http://www.scienceaid.co.uk/chemistry/industrial/blastfurnace.html |access-date=2007-12-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071217143213/http://www.scienceaid.co.uk/chemistry/industrial/blastfurnace.html |archive-date=17 December 2007}}</ref>

===Aluminium===
* '''[[Hall–Héroult process]]''' – Aluminium oxide ({{chem2|Al2O3}}) is smelted with coke (C) in a high-temperature [[electrolysis]] reaction, yielding the desired pure aluminium (Al) and a mixture of CO and {{CO2}}.
:{{chem2|Al2O3(s) + 3 C(s) → 2 Al(s) + 3 CO(g)}}
:{{chem2|2 Al2O3(s) + 3 C(s) → 4 Al(s) + 3 CO2(g)}}

===Fertilizer===
* '''[[Haber process]]''' – Atmospheric nitrogen (N<sub>2</sub>) is separated, yielding ammonia (NH<sub>3</sub>), which is used to make all synthetic [[fertilizer]]. The Haber process uses a [[fossil fuel|fossil]] carbon source, generally [[natural gas]], to provide the CO for the [[water–gas shift reaction]], yielding [[hydrogen]] (H<sub>2</sub>) and releasing {{CO2}}. The H<sub>2</sub> is used to break the strong triple bond in N<sub>2</sub>, yielding [[ammonia production|industrial ammonia]].
:{{chem2|CH4(g) + H2O(g) → CO(g) + 3 H2(g)}}
:{{chem2|CO(g) + H2O(g) → H2(g) + CO2(g)}}
:{{chem2|N2(g) + 3 H2(g) → 2 NH3(g)}}

===Other chemical processes===
* [[Disinfection]] – chemical treatment to kill bacteria and viruses
* [[Pyroprocessing]] – using heat to chemically combine materials, such as in [[cement kiln|cement]]