Low-carbon footprint fertilizers: everything you need to know
What are low-carbon footprint fertilizers?
Low-carbon footprint fertilizers are nitrate-based mineral fertilizers with exactly the same chemical and physical composition as fertilizers produced with fossil sources (natural gas, coal, oil), but with a much lower carbon footprint because they are produced with renewable electricity (hydro, wind, solar). That means low-carbon footprint fertilizers are an impactful and effortless way to decarbonize food production.
How are low-carbon footprint fertilizers produced?
Ammonia is the building block of all mineral fertilizers. Today ammonia is produced using hydrogen from fossil sources. To produce low-carbon footprint fertilizers, the hydrogen needed to make ammonia will come from water using electrolysis based on renewable electricity. After extracting the hydrogen to create renewable ammonia, all other processes will remain the same. This includes the use of a best available technology (BAT) catalytic process that reduces greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) during production. The technology has enabled Yara to reduce fertilizer production emissions from nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas, by more than 90 percent.
Where will these fertilizers be produced?
Today Yara has a portfolio of renewable ammonia projects, which will be key for the production of low-carbon footprint fertilizers, in Norway, the Netherlands and Australia, and we’re working actively to expand our geographical presence through our clean ammonia business.
The first deliveries of Yara’s low-carbon footprint fertilizers will be based on the pilot in Porsgrunn, Norway as this is one of the first projects that will come on stream. Later deliveries will be integrated into Yara's portfolio of future renewable ammonia projects. The Porsgrunn project is Yara’s first electrolyzer project of industrial scale with system integration into an existing ammonia plant.
The plant will produce around 20,000 tonnes of ammonia per year, which converts to between 60,000 and 80,000 tonnes of low-carbon footprint fertilizer. As part of the HEGRA project, Yara aims to convert the entire Porsgrunn plant to renewable ammonia five to seven years from now, enabling large-scale renewable ammonia production.
What are the benefits of low-carbon footprint fertilizers?
Impactful: Our fertilizers will significantly lower the carbon footprint across the food value chain, from fertilizers to food.
Effortless: Our fertilizers are a simple way for farmers and food companies to reduce the carbon footprint of their crops and food products without needing to change their operations, agricultural practices or processes.
What is the carbon footprint of these fertilizers?
Today Yara’s nitrate-based mineral fertilizers produced in the European Union and Norway already have a carbon footprint that is about 50 to 60 percent lower compared with most non-EU fertilizers thanks to the use of a best available technology (BAT) catalytic process that was first developed by Yara and later shared with other producers. Using renewable electricity to produce low-carbon footprint fertilizers will lower the carbon footprint by a further 70 to 90 percent.
Switching to low-carbon footprint fertilizers will also have a high impact on the carbon footprint of the end product, reducing it by an around 20 percent for wheat and by around about 12 percent for a loaf of bread.
How can I trust that the carbon footprint is accurate?
Yara has developed a methodology to ensure that the carbon footprint is accounted for correctly throughout the production process. Independent assurance and risk management provider DNV, as an independent third party, will validate the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) methodology, which is one of the most established methods for determining the climate impact of a product. The third-party verification will ensure that our methodology and calculations are correct and transparent.
What role should food companies play in terms of low-carbon footprint fertilizers and why?
Low-carbon footprint fertilizers are a crucial step in decarbonizing the food chain. By using low-carbon footprint fertilizers in their supply chains, food companies can meet their climate pledges and be frontrunners in driving the climate transformation. As of December 5, 2023, 251 food and beverage companies had committed to or already set targets to reduce their GHG emissions in accordance with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
Fun fact: Yara is going back to its past to address the future
Did you know that Yara’s founders actually invented the idea of using hydroelectric power to extract nitrogen from the air for large-scale mineral fertilizer production already in early 1900s? New, more efficient technologies – electrolysis based on hydropower and the Haber–Bosch process – were later implemented at Yara’s plants. Production then switched to using natural gas during the 20th century as this was cheaper at the time. However, Yara’s plant in Glomfjord, Norway continued to use electrolysis based on hydropower all the way up until 1991.
Now, as the world faces increasing challenges related to climate change, we are going back to our past to again use renewable electricity and electrolysis technology. This will enable us to speed up the transition to a nature-positive food future that’s resilient and less dependent on fossil sources.
Image courtesy of NEL
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