Ammonia and Nitric Acid Demands for Fertilizer Use in 2050

Abstract

Access to nitrogen-based fertilizers is critical to maximize agricultural yield, as nitrogen is the most common rate-limiting nutrient. Nearly all nitrogenbased fertilizers rely on ammonia and nitric acid as feedstocks, and thus the demand for these chemicals is heavily dependent on the global population and food demand. Over the next three decades, the global population will continue to dictate the market size and value for ammonia and nitric acid, which consequently will have a significant impact on our energy infrastructure. Here, we discuss the potential for carbon-free electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction, nitrogen oxidation, and nitrate reduction to meet fertilizer manufacturing demands. We also explore various growth scenarios to predict the 2050 market size and value for ammonia and nitric acid. We highlight that if the current approaches for manufacturing ammonia and nitric acid remain constant, carbon emissions from the production of fixed fertilizer feedstocks could exceed 1300 Mt CO 2eq /yr, prompting a strong need for green alternatives.

Emerging Electrochemical Processes to Decarbonize the Chemical Industry

“…Ammonia production via the Haber–Bosch process has a capacity of ∼175 Mt/yr ,which accounts for ∼2% of global fossil fuel consumption and 420 million tons of CO 2 emission annually. 59 , 60 At the same time, nitric acid with a market size of 70 Mt/yr is manufactured through the oxidation of ammonia from the Haber–Bosch process, which requires 1.7 times higher energy consumption than that of ammonia production. 60 Substantial efforts have been devoted to identifying greener, safer, and lower-carbon-footprint nitrogen fixation processes such as enzyme catalysis, 61 , 62 photocatalysis, 63 , 64 plasma-assisted catalysis, 65 − 67 and electrochemical catalysis.…”

“… 59 , 60 At the same time, nitric acid with a market size of 70 Mt/yr is manufactured through the oxidation of ammonia from the Haber–Bosch process, which requires 1.7 times higher energy consumption than that of ammonia production. 60 Substantial efforts have been devoted to identifying greener, safer, and lower-carbon-footprint nitrogen fixation processes such as enzyme catalysis, 61 , 62 photocatalysis, 63 , 64 plasma-assisted catalysis, 65 − 67 and electrochemical catalysis. 68 − 70 Among those processes, electrocatalysis powered by renewable energy offers a promising approach for ammonia and nitric acid production from N 2 .…”

Alkali Metal Salt Interference on the Salicylate Method for Quantifying Ammonia from Nitrogen Reduction

“…5 Currently, more than 170 million metric tons of ammonia are produced each year, 6 more than 90% of which are synthetized using the Haber-Bosch process. 7 Around 80% of this ammonia is used as synthetic fertilizer, 8,9 sustaining in this way nearly two-fifths of the World's population. 10 In addition to its importance in food production, ammonia is also a key compound for the chemical industry, 11 where every nitrogen atom in synthetic molecules comes from it.…”

Efficient Electrochemical Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia with Copper‐Supported Rhodium Cluster and Single‐Atom Catalysts

“…Currently, the worldwide production of ammonia relies on the Haber–Bosch (HB) process, which consumes about 5.5 EJ of energy every year (≈38 GJ/t ) and emits over 450 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (≈2.9 t /t ) [3] . With the growing interest of using ammonia in non‐agriculture sectors (e.g.…”

“…energy), the production scale of ammonia and ammonia‐related emissions will be further expanded. Thus, to meet the COP21 two‐degree scenario (2DS) target [3] for ammonia, there is a compelling need to replace the conventional HB process by alternative sustainable strategies compatible with renewables that could meet the increasing demand. Electrochemical nitrate reduction (NITRR) has the potential of decentralized production of “green” ammonia with an economically‐competitive rate [4] .…”