Editorial comment
Renewable or ‘green’ ammonia – produced via hydrogen created from electrolysis of water that is powered by renewable sources of energy – is continuing to set the agenda in the fertilizer industry. Earlier this month, Yara and ENGIE announced plans to build a renewable hydrogen plant in Australia’s Pilbara region, backed by AUS$42.5 million of government grants. Once complete in 2023, the plant will produce up to 625 tpy of green ammonia that will be used for, amongst other things, decarbonised fertilizer production.
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Elsewhere, Casale, Nutrien, Nel Hydrogen, Shell and GE are part of a group working towards a green ammonia pilot plant in Minnesota, US, that will deploy water electrolysis, ammonia synthesis and ammonia cracking technologies. That this project also has state support – in the form of US$10 million from the US Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy – is a reassuring indicator that governments are realising such schemes urgently require their contribution if they are to be commercially viable and achieve their crucial aim of reducing carbon emissions.
And, as featured in our previous issue’s World Review, the Helios green fuels project in Saudi Arabia’s planned NEOM megacity will aim to produce 1.2 million tpy of green ammonia using technology from Haldor Topsoe. Initial project work is now underway, with start-up planned for 2025.1
I’m therefore delighted to say that on 15 September World Fertilizer will be hosting ‘Ammonia 2021’, an online conference dedicated to showcasing cutting-edge developments in ammonia production technology. We already have some excellent speakers confirmed, with experts from Nel Hydrogen, ICIS and Peddie Engineering set to discuss large scale renewable electrolysis to enable decarbonisation of ammonia production, the short to medium-term outlook for the ammonia market and recent challenges for the ammonium nitrate market. Complementing these presentations will be a range of interactive features, including live Q&A sessions with each speaker following their presentation. There will also be a virtual exhibition running in parallel, where attendees will have the chance to interact with company representatives and find out more about their products and services. Finally, networking will also be possible (and encouraged!) through live chat and video conferencing. To register to attend, you can go to www.worldfertilizer.com/ammonia2021/ and reserve your free space. Don’t worry if 15 September is already booked up in your diary – registering will mean that you will automatically receive a recording of the entire conference once it has finished, so you can view all of the proceedings at your convenience. I look forward to seeing you on 15 September.
While on the subject of new digital content, make sure to watch World Fertilizer’s first-ever Spotlight interview on our website if you haven’t already. This discussion with Juan A. González-Léon and Lucas Moore from Arkema-ArrMaz reflected on their article on fertilizer substrates and deliquescence that was published in our November/December 2020 issue – well worth a watch: www.worldfertilizer.com/special-reports/10052021/world-fertilizer-spotlight-with-arkema-arrmaz/.
Finally, I hope you enjoy this latest issue of World Fertilizer.
Reference
1‘Saudi Arabia moves on $5bn hydrogen project’, www.meed.com/saudi-arabia-moves-on-5bn-hydrogen-project (8 April 2021).
