The agricultural vision of Minister Carola Schouten (Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality) states that she wants to put a stop to the use of fertilizer. Instead, Schouten argues in favor of using processed animal manure. What effect does this have on the climate and does this mean the end for Dutch fertilizer factories?
There are 4 large fertilizer factories in the Netherlands: Yara, Rosier, OCI Nitrogen and ICL Fertilizers. Together they produce 7,5 million tons of fertilizers annually, of which 6 million tons are nitrogen-containing fertilizers. Only 11% of these remain in the Netherlands. This means that production is mainly for the world market.
The estimated fertilizer use in Europe for 2018 is at least 16 million tons, according to figures from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Almost half of this is produced in the Netherlands.
Allocation of carbon dioxide (CO2)
Since it was decided to use the CO2emissions to the country where they are produced, this makes a significant contribution to CO2emissions from the Dutch chemical industry. The largest fertilizer factory in the Netherlands is Yara. This factory emits 3,7 megatonnes of CO every year2 from.
This makes Yara one of the top 10 companies with the highest CO2emissions in the Netherlands; at least when it comes to gross CO2emission goes. This is because 1,4 megatons are reused in end products or sold. The net CO2emissions amount to 2,3 megatons. For comparison: Dutch agriculture and livestock farming emits approximately 26 megatonnes.
Yara has achieved a 1990% reduction in greenhouse gases since 55. During the same period, production increased by 30%. According to Meststoffen Nederland, it means that the Dutch fertilizer factories is among the most efficient in the world.
Sales to greenhouse horticulture
Part of the CO produced2 is sold to, for example, greenhouse horticulture. In theory, using this for heating or as fertilizer has a lot of potential. Production from fertilizer factories produces sufficient CO2 free to supply a significant quantity to greenhouse horticulture.
Yet LTO Glaskracht recently sounded the alarm: greenhouse horticulture is facing a looming shortage of CO2, because the factories can hardly meet the demand. This seems strange, because the CO2emissions (net) of Yara are still 2,3 megatonnes. In the reuse of CO2 So it seems like there is still a world to win.
No natural gas, no fertilizer?
The Netherlands also wants to get rid of natural gas generation due to problems. In theory, this threatens the survival of fertilizer factories. Reinier Gerrits, director of Meststoffen Nederland, indicates that things are not going to go that fast. "The majority of the high-calorific gas comes from abroad." For the time being, the factories continue to operate as normal.
Gerrits says that ammonia production (from which fertilizer is made) is being looked at. This is done through electrification, the expansion of electricity generation and distribution. The production of 1 ton of ammonia requires 1.000 m3 natural gas required. If this process can be completed through electrification, this will save quite a bit of natural gas.
"Electrification certainly offers opportunities for the future," Gerrits indicates. Although he emphasizes that the technology still needs to be further developed and scaled up. "And there must be sufficient electricity available, which is not obtained from natural gas."
International demand
The demand for fertilizer from other countries is stable. The Netherlands is leading the way in making the agricultural sector fertilizer-free. Of course, the question remains whether other countries will follow this example.
The fertilizer factories have invested more than €5 billion in Dutch fertilizers in the past 1 years production locations. The investments were mainly aimed at increasing production capacity and reducing environmental impacts.
Small effect on emissions
If the use of artificial fertilizer in the Netherlands is completely replaced by animal fertilizers, this will not have a major effect on greenhouse gas emissions. After all, the majority of fertilizer production goes abroad (89%). That demand is likely to remain stable. The factories mainly use natural gas from abroad. The end of gas extraction in Groningen therefore has little impact on the fertilizer industry.
To reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the fertilizer industry, it is probably more sensible to focus on the use of the CO produced2. This is possible, for example, in greenhouse horticulture. Here, techniques such as electrification could limit the use of natural gas.