Green Urea: Revolutionizing Fertilizer Production

 Green Urea: Revolutionizing Fertilizer Production

Urea stands as the primary solid nitrogen fertilizer worldwide, offering a practical solution to bolster crop yields and profitability. However, the conventional urea (CH4N2O) production process generates a staggering 12.5 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually, rendering it one of the largest contributors to CO2 emissions within the chemical industry. Despite its paramount role in agriculture, urea also boasts significant applications in industry and healthcare.

Green urea uses carbon capture technology to capture and store carbon dioxide, electrolyze water to produce carbon-free hydrogen, and then use the generated hydrogen to react with nitrogen (usually extracted from the air) to produce green ammonia. Green ammonia and carbon dioxide (CO2) synthesize green urea and water.

By adopting this innovative process, green urea effectively mitigates CO2 emissions, representing a pivotal step towards decarbonizing agriculture. This shift not only aligns with sustainability goals but also signifies a progressive leap towards environmentally responsible farming practices.

Facing Climate Change: Agriculture's Battle for Survival

The production process of traditional urea (which accounts for more than 70% of global fertilizer use) emits carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas and a major contributor to climate change. Climate change also leads to earlier crop development, shorter growth cycles, reduced yields, and lower quality. It results in increased climate variability, leading to higher instability in agricultural production.

Extreme Weather

As global temperatures and sea levels rise, there are more heatwaves, droughts, floods, hurricanes, and wildfires. Such conditions make it difficult for farmers to grow crops, and hungry people struggle to access food.

Land Degradation

In general, for every 1°C increase in temperature, air humidity can increase by about 7%. Therefore, climate change may lead to increased frequency, intensity, and quantity of heavy rainfall in certain regions, subsequently increasing the rate of soil erosion.

Loss of Biodiversity

Many wild relatives of crops that are essential for long-term food security lack effective protection. Reduced diversity will diminish agriculture’s resilience to future climate change, pests, and pathogens.

Securing Global Food Supplies Sustainably

Green urea is widely used in the field of agriculture. As a neutral fertilizer, green urea is suitable for various soils and plants. It is easy to store, convenient to use, and has a minimal impact on the soil. It is currently one of the most widely used chemical nitrogen fertilizers.

According to United Nations projections, the world’s population is expected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030 and 9.7 billion by 2050. Estimates indicate that to feed the global population by 2050, total food production will need to increase by nearly 60% compared to current levels.

Green urea is a derivative of green ammonia, and it is produced by reacting green ammonia with CO2 from urea plants to create green urea products without carbon emissions. It not only reduces greenhouse gas carbon emissions but also serves as a raw material for various industrial applications, facilitating carbon neutrality in automobile emissions and playing a fundamental role in ensuring global food security.