Toward Net-Zero Emission Fertilizers Industry: Greenhouse GasEmission Analyses and Decarbonization Solutions

The production of fertilizers has been evolvingsteadily in the last 300 years. It involves a high number ofcommodities and reagents that share a large portion of the costsand emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), particularly carbondioxide (CO2). Phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium fertilizerscomponents represent more than 200 million tonnes of productionannually. Given that most of the fertilizer production process isdependent on fossil fuels as fuel and feedstock, the amount of CO2generated is at least 3 tonnes CO2per tonne of fertilizer. Theintroduction, in the future, of less intensive carbon technologicalcomponents and lower energy-consuming separation and catalytictechnologies in the fertilizers industry has the potential to reduceCO2emissions drastically. In this review, we thoroughly analyzethe GHG emissions of the fertilizers industry over time and explore pathways to achieve viable and sustainable decarbonizationsolutions. In the review, we also aim to explore, whenever information is available, the factors (sources) and the ranges of GHGemissions in the different value chains of fertilizer plants. As a result, an overview of the literature on GHG emissions from syntheticfertilizers (N, P, K) industries will be given. More emphasis is on emissions that stem from the extraction of raw materials tofinalfertilizer products (energy source, efficiency, and fertilizer type) and transportation of intermediates within different sites of theplants (vehicle type, fuel type, and efficiency). A perspective analysis on possible recommendations for future net-zero carbonemissions and carbon capture technologies is also made.

Automated summary

The production of fertilizers heavily relies on fossil fuels, leading to significant greenhouse gas emissions. This review comprehensively analyzes the emissions in the fertilizer industry and explores decarbonization solutions and recommendations for future developments.