<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/fertiliser-from-thin-air-how-farmers-can-make-their-own-fertiliser-from-air-water-and-renewables/>
"Reliable and affordable fertiliser supply was high on the agenda at this
week’s Renewables in Agriculture conference, as events in the Middle East
provide another reminder of just how exposed Australian farmers are to global
supply chains.
With disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz putting pressure on
fertiliser supplies and prices, the prospect of farmers producing their own
fertiliser using locally generated renewable energy is looking increasingly
attractive.
One technology on display at the conference came from Australian company
PlasmaLeap, which is developing modular systems that use electricity, air and
water to produce nitrogen fertiliser on farms.
Nick Bishop, PlasmaLeap’s CFO, told the conference the technology could
potentially give farmers greater control over both fertiliser costs and supply,
while dramatically reducing the emissions associated with conventional
production.
Bishop says the nitrogen problem has been brewing for decades, in part because
conventional fertiliser production is concentrated in a relatively small number
of enormous plants.
“They’re very heavily centralized, they’re very expensive capex types of
projects, and they’re very energy intensive.”
Nitrogen fertiliser production accounts for around 2.5 per cent of global
greenhouse gas emissions, Bishop told the conference.
PlasmaLeap’s approach is different. It’s an electrochemistry and manufacturing
company, not an agricultural business, that uses electricity to produce
chemicals that are traditionally made using fossil fuels.
PlasmaLeap is pioneering zero-emissions ammonia and nitric acid production –
key building blocks for nitrogen fertilisers – using electricity rather than
fossil fuels."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
