this horizontal ammonia converter at imc's plant in sterlington, louisiana, is one of the world's most efficient. the nitrogen for the ammonia reaction is obtained directly from the air, and most of the hydrogen comes from natural gas, which is reacted with steam in this huge reforming furnace. the nitrogen-hydrogen mixture is then piped to the ammonia reactor. the process uses an iron-based catalyst. this increases the rates of both the forward and reverse reactions. therefore, it doesn't shift the position of the equilibrium. but the equilibrium is sensitive to temperature, pressure, and concentration, so the engineers manipulate these factors to favor the forward reaction as much as possible. first, temperature. the forward reaction is exothermic-- heat is released. now, if we lower the temperature in the reactor, more ammonia is produced as the system generates additional heat. so the reactants enter the reactor at a relatively low temperature, about 590 degrees fahrenheit. at lower temperatures still, the forward reaction would be favored more, but the rate of reaction would becom