I thought nitrogen-based fertilizers were renewable?
For nitrogen-based fertilizers, the largest product group, the process starts by mixing nitrogen from the air with hydrogen from natural gas at high temperature and pressure to create ammonia. Approximately 60% of the natural gas is used as raw material, with the remainder employed to power the synthesis process.
The ammonia is used to make nitric acid, with which it is then mixed to produce nitrate fertilizers such as ammonium nitrate (AN). Ammonia may also be mixed with liquid carbon dioxide to create urea. Both these products can be further mixed together with water to form UAN (urea ammonium nitrate) solution.
I don't see how any of these steps couldn't be fabricated without the use of non-reneweable resources.
roastpotatothief@lemmy.ml 2 years ago
It's phosphorous. I dug up the old article. It's well worth reading. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/02/phosphorus-pollution-fertilizer/617937/
Weyland@lemmygrad.ml 2 years ago
Well yeah. Still, phosphorus can theoretically be mined though from ocean water. The problem is that with current techniques, yeah; it's not sustainable. Being able to mine it from out direct waste would be ten times better.
roastpotatothief@lemmy.ml 2 years ago
In no chemist. I don't know if it can or not, even theoretically. Would need to do some research.
There's a better way. The ship can filter the waste water for nutrients before releasing it into the sea.
Weyland@lemmygrad.ml 2 years ago
You can mine any liquid through the use of bacteria that accumulate the specific element/compound you're looking for.