MSGID: 1:317/3 63e5c86c   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Carbon emissions from fertilizers could be reduced by as much as 80% by   
   2050    
      
     Date:   
         February 9, 2023   
     Source:   
         University of Cambridge   
     Summary:   
         Researchers have calculated the carbon footprint for the full life   
         cycle of fertilisers, which are responsible for approximately five   
         percent of total greenhouse gas emissions -- the first time this   
         has been accurately quantified -- and found that carbon emissions   
         could be reduced to one- fifth of current levels by 2050.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
   ==========================================================================   
   Researchers have calculated the carbon footprint for the full life   
   cycle of fertilisers, which are responsible for approximately five   
   percent of total greenhouse gas emissions -- the first time this has   
   been accurately quantified -- and found that carbon emissions could be   
   reduced to one-fifth of current levels by 2050.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, found that two thirds   
   of emissions from fertilisers take place after they are spread on fields,   
   with one third of emissions coming from production processes.   
      
   Although nitrogen-based fertilisers are already known to be a major   
   source of greenhouse gas emissions, this is the first time that their   
   overall contribution, from production to deployment, has been fully   
   quantified. Their analysis found that manure and synthetic fertilisers   
   emit the equivalent of 2.6 gigatonnes of carbon per year -- more than   
   global aviation and shipping combined.   
      
   Carbon emissions from fertilisers urgently need to be reduced; however,   
   this must be balanced against the need for global food security. Earlier   
   research has estimated that 48% of the global population are fed with   
   crops grown with synthetic fertilisers, and the world's population is   
   expected to grow by 20% until 2050.   
      
   The Cambridge researchers say that a combination of scalable technological   
   and policy solutions are needed to reduce fertiliser emissions while   
   maintaining food security. However, they estimate that if such solutions   
   could be implemented at scale, the emissions from manure and synthetic   
   fertilisers could be reduced by as much as 80%, to one-fifth of current   
   levels, without a loss of productivity. Their results are reported in   
   the journal Nature Food.   
      
   "Incredibly, we don't actually know how many chemicals we produce   
   globally, where they end up, where and how they accumulate, how many   
   emissions they produce, and how much waste they generate," said co-author   
   Dr Andre' Cabrera Serrenho from Cambridge's Department of Engineering.   
      
   Serrenho and his co-author Yunhu Gao undertook a project to accurately   
   measure the total impacts of fertilisers, one of the two main products of   
   the petrochemical industry. Of all the products made by the petrochemical   
   industry, the vast majority -- as much as 74% -- are either plastics   
   or fertilisers.   
      
   "In order to reduce emissions, it's important for us to identify and   
   prioritise any interventions we can make to make fertilisers less harmful   
   to the environment," said Serrenho. "But if we're going to do that,   
   we first need to have a clear picture of the whole lifecycle of these   
   products. It sounds obvious, but we actually know very little about   
   these things."  The researchers mapped the global flows of manure and   
   synthetic fertilisers and their emissions for 2019, along all stages of   
   the lifecycle, by reconciling the production and consumption of nitrogen   
   fertilisers and regional emission factors across nine world regions.   
      
   After completing their analysis, the researchers found that unlike many   
   other products, the majority of emissions for fertilisers occur not   
   during production, but during their use.   
      
   "It was surprising that this was the major source of emissions,"   
   said Serrenho.   
      
   "But only after quantifying all emissions, at every point of the   
   lifecycle, can we then start looking at different mitigation methods to   
   reduce emissions without a loss of productivity."  The researchers listed   
   and quantified the maximum theoretical impact of different mitigation   
   methods -- most of these are already known, but their maximum potential   
   effect had not been quantified.   
      
   Emissions from the production of synthetic fertilisers are mostly   
   from ammonia synthesis, partly due to chemical reactions used in the   
   production process. The most effective mitigation at the production   
   stage would be for the industry to decarbonise heating and hydrogen   
   production. Additionally, fertilisers could be mixed with chemicals   
   called nitrification inhibitors, which prevent bacteria from forming   
   nitrous oxide. However, these chemicals are likely to make fertilisers   
   more expensive.   
      
   "If we're going to make fertilisers more expensive, then there needs   
   to be some sort of financial incentive to farmers and to fertiliser   
   companies," said Serrenho. "Farming is an incredibly tough business as it   
   is, and farmers aren't currently rewarded for producing lower emissions."   
   The single most effective way to reduce fertiliser-associated emissions,   
   however, would be to reduce the amount of fertilisers that we use. "We're   
   incredibly inefficient in our use of fertilisers," said Serrenho. "We're   
   using far more than we need, which is economically inefficient and that's   
   down to farming practices. If we used fertiliser more efficiently, we   
   would need substantially less fertiliser, which would reduce emissions   
   without affecting crop productivity."  The researchers also looked at   
   the mix of fertilisers used around the world, which varies by region. The   
   researchers say that replacing some of the fertilisers with the highest   
   emissions, such as urea, with ammonium nitrate worldwide could further   
   reduce emissions by between 20% and 30%. However, this would only be   
   beneficial after decarbonising the fertiliser industry.   
      
   "There are no perfect solutions," said Serrenho. "We need to rethink how   
   we produce food, and what sorts of economic incentives work best. Perhaps   
   that means paying farmers to produce fewer emissions, perhaps that   
   means paying more for food. We need to find the right mix of financial,   
   technological and policy solutions to reduce emissions while keeping   
   the world fed."  Serrenho and Gao estimate that by implementing all the   
   mitigations they analysed, emissions from the fertiliser sector could   
   be reduced by as much as 80% by 2050.   
      
   "Our work gives us a good idea of what's technically possible, what's   
   big, and where interventions would be meaningful -- it's important that   
   we aim interventions at what matters the most, in order to make fast   
   and meaningful progress in reducing emissions," said Serrenho.   
      
   The research was part of the C-THRU project, led by Professor Jonathan   
   Cullen, where researchers from four UK and US Universities are working to   
   bring clarity to the emissions from the global petrochemical supply chain.   
      
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Health_&_Medicine   
                   # Staying_Healthy # Diseases_and_Conditions #   
                   Food_Additives # Today's_Healthcare # Medical_Topics #   
                   Controlled_Substances   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Carbon_monoxide o Fertility o Formaldehyde o Artery o   
             Pollution o Tropospheric_ozone o Amino_acid o Air_pollution   
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Cambridge. Note:   
   Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. Gao, Y., Cabrera Serrenho, A. Greenhouse gas emissions from nitrogen   
         fertilizers could be reduced by up to one-fifth of current   
         levels by 2050 with combined interventions. Nat Food, 2023 DOI:   
         10.1038/s43016-023- 00698-w   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230209114736.htm   
      
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