Ammonia Technology Roadmap	Chapter 1. Ammonia production today
Towards more sustainable nitrogen fertiliser production

Chapter 1. Ammonia production today

Highlights

•Ammonia makes an indispensable contribution to global agricultural systems through its use for mineral nitrogen fertilisers. About 70% of ammonia is used for fertilisers, while the remainder is used for various industrial applications, such as plastics, explosives and synthetic fibres. Ammonia may also serve as a low-carbon energy vector in the future, but that application is not considered within the core analytical scope of this roadmap.

•Ammonia production today is highly energy and emissions intensive. In 2020 global ammonia production accounted for around 2% (8.6 EJ) of total final energy consumption and 1.3% (450 Mt) of CO2 emissions from the energy system. How to reduce these CO2 emissions is the focus of this roadmap.

•The People’s Republic of China (hereafter “China”) is the largest producer of ammonia today, accounting for 30% of production, with Russian Federation (hereafter “Russia”), the Middle East, the United States, the European Union and India accounting for a further 8-10% each. Ammonia is traded around the world, with global exports equating to about 10% of total production. Urea, its most common derivative, is traded even more widely, at just under 30%.

•Ammonia production currently relies on fossil fuels. Just over 70% of ammonia production is via natural gas-based steam reforming, while most of the remainder is via coal gasification. Near-zero emissions production methods are emerging, including electrolysis, methane pyrolysis and fossil-based routes with carbon capture and storage. The routes are typically 10-100% more expensive per tonne of ammonia produced than conventional routes, depending on energy prices and other regional factors.

•Ammonia production facilities have a long lifetime of typically 20-50 years. Depending how long they operate, existing plants could produce 3.9 to 13.5 Gt CO2 over their remaining lifetime, which is the equivalent of 9 to 30 years’ worth of ammonia production emissions in 2020. Strategies to address existing assets will be an important part of the industry’s energy transition.

•In addition to CO2 emissions from production, nitrogen fertilisers also result in nitrous oxide and CO2 emissions when applied to soils. While their overapplication can damage ecosystems, the higher yields enabled by fertilisers can reduce the conversion of natural ecosystems to agricultural production.

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