Tropentag 2022, September 14 - 16, Prague, Germany "Can agroecological farming feed the world? Farmers' and academia's views."

Challenges of nitrogen production fertilisers from renewable energy for farmers

Abidi Mohamed Rachid, Ecosolutions Tunisia, Tunisia

Abstract

Every year countries all over the world produce millions of tonnes of the three essential nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which plants need to grow to their full potential, and for this production, they use natural's raw materials such as air, natural gas, and mined ores.
Nitrogen-based fertilisers account for the vast majority of fertiliser use, and these types of fertilisers need a high energy consumption and specific condition of high pressure and temperature.
For this purpose, an alternative of producing nitrogen fertiliser with low energy consumption and with low carbon emissions will be a great challenge and will help farmers to improve yield production. Nitrogen fertiliser based on renewable energy with the application of plasma-activated water (PAW) represent a green production of fertiliser without the need for specific conditions of temperature and pressure
The ammonia industry uses intensive energy-consuming 8MWh per tonne of ammonia with higher dioxide carbon emission 1, 6 tonne of CO₂ per tonne ammonia with the natural gas source without cunting the transport emission, but with the technologies of plasma-activated water will be zero carbon emission, from water, air, and renewable electricity to produce nitrate NO₃^- directed used in irrigation.
With this technology, the implementation of the system in the field of farmers will make them produce their fertiliser using clean and green resources and nitrogen is not available where it is needed most without transport cost. Also minimising the environmental impact of the gas emission of production, distribution, and application of nitrogen fertilisers.

Keywords: Agriculture, farmers, fertilisers, nitrogen, plasma-activated water

Contact Address: Mohamed Rachid Abidi, Abidi Mohamed Rachid, Ecosolutions Tunisia, Gafsa, Tunisia, e-mail: abidi.medrachidgmail.com