Ammonia production emissions and why we need a game changer
For over a century, ammonia has been the unsung hero of global agriculture, feeding billions and sustaining life as we know it. But this essential ingredient in our food supply comes at a hidden cost: massive CO2 emissions.
Published direct emissions figures from existing ammonia production methods range between 430 – 500 Mt CO2 per year.
Add to that indirect emissions, and we’re looking at up to 620 Mt CO2 per year – that’s equivalent to the annual emissions of 135 million cars, based on data from the US EPA.
Let’s look at some revered studies and their key findings on the impact of ammonia production:
The IEA 2021 Ammonia Technology Roadmap cites direct emissions from ammonia production stand at 450 Mt CO₂ annually, with an emissions intensity of 2.4 tCO₂ per tonne of ammonia (NH₃). These come from the chemical processes involved in making ammonia, primarily the use of fossil fuels for hydrogen production. They also report that indirect emissions add an additional 170 Mt CO₂ per year, from sources including electricity used in ammonia production and emissions from urea application downstream.
The H2 Europe Clean Ammonia Report (2023) reported current Emissions from global ammonia production emissions are approximately 500 Mt CO₂ per year, with an intensity of 2-2.5 tCO₂ per tonne of ammonia.
The need for a game changer:
Even if we take the lowest published value of direct emissions from ammonia production (430 Mt), that’s 1.2% of annual global CO2 emissions just from ammonia production alone.
The use of renewable or low-carbon hydrogen, would lead to almost complete decarbonisation of the ammonia manufacturing industry.
Plasma2X is a revolutionary new process that combines the power of plasma and electrocatalysis to produce ammonia from air and water using renewable energy.
By using plasma and electrocatalysis, we have created a low-pressure, low-temperature, decentralized method with reduced capex that can produce CO2 free ammonia directly from air and water. It doesn’t need fossil fuels, potentially eliminating CO2 emissions.
Overall, our process could help eliminate up to 12 gigatons of CO2 emissions from global ammonia production by 2050, based on IRENA’ s 2022 Innovation Outlook: Renewable Ammonia strategy scenario aligned with the Paris Agreement goal of keeping global temperature rise within 1.5oC.
Pair that with other emerging technologies such as advancements in renewable energy storage and more efficient fertiliser application techniques, and we can envision a truly sustainable agricultural future. For example, integrating Plasma2X with renewable energy sources like solar and wind power can further minimise the environmental footprint. Improvements in precision agriculture and fertiliser use efficiency can also reduce the overall demand for ammonia, further lessening the impact on the environment.
Now that’s a real game changer.