Low-Emission Ammonia Production, Electrolysis Technologies, and impact on Farm Gate Prices

Fertiliser manufacturers aim to decarbonise their production facilities, with some pledges made for full decarbonisation of fertiliser production within the timeframe 2035-2050. Since the last meeting of the International Fertiliser Society, various renewable ammonia projects have started operations as partial revamps of existing fertiliser complexes and as newbuild plants. More generally, low-emission ammonia trade is set to scale up, as ammonia will also be used as zero-carbon fuel and hydrogen carrier. This paper discusses how various fertiliser manufacturers can decarbonise ammonia production, via carbon capture and storage (CCS) and via water electrolysis. Furthermore, the paper discusses various electrolysis technologies and their flexibility. The cost impact of decarbonising ammonia production on the farm gate prices for nitrogen fertilisers is also discussed.