Life Cycle Energy of Renewably Produced Nitrogen Fertilizers

Minnesota supports over 14 million acres of cropland in grain production. Almost 600,000 tons of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers are needed annually to maintain productivity on this land, which requires the equivalent of 3,000,000 barrels of oil and costs farmers over $400 million dollars per year. This amount of fossil fuel use results in a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions, while the absence of fossil energy resources in the state means that these synthetic nitrogen fertilizers must be imported into Minnesota from other states and overseas. In response to this, researchers at the University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center are using this appropriation to conduct modeling and analysis of the viability of options for using different renewable energy technologies that could be implemented in Minnesota for generating nitrogen fertilizer. Findings have the potential to help reduce agricultural energy related production costs and make rural communities more energy independent.