Synthetic fertilizers are essential for modern agriculture. Of the three primary macronutrients supplied to crops in fertilizer, ammonia is the most expensive, the most energy- inefficient, and is based on the oldest and  technology. I have a strong personal interest in developing a technology to produce ammonia at room temperature and pressure, and without using fossil fuels as an input, which is required by the current primary ammonia synthesis technology.

The primary technology used for ammonia synthesis is the Haber-Bosch process, first developed in 1909, which requires hydrogen (typically produced from coal or natural gas) as a feedstock and demands expensive temperature-resistant pressure vessels as a capital cost. I intend to commercialize an ammonia synthesis technology that does not rely on expensive pressure vessels or hydrocarbon feedstocks. This technology produces ammonia using only air, water, and electricity as raw materials, and produces ammonia at costs competitive with or superior to current Haber-Bosch-based technologies. Electrochemical ammonia synthesis is based on well understood electrochemical and catalysis principles. My intention is to produce a new system for ammonia synthesis that will produce materials suitable for use in nitrogen fertilizers with lower fixed and variable costs than the current industry standard, without the use of polluting fossil fuels as feedstocks.

An analysis of the fertilizer market shows that this technology is badly needed. The nitrogen fertilizer market is a $75 billion dollar per year market, producing 60% of all fertilizers sold, and is currently estimated to be growing at 1.2% per year. Fertilizer production makes up 2.5% to 3% of all global CO2 emissions and 1.0% to 1.5% of all global energy consumption. Fertilizer cost is particularly critical in the agricultural industry; every dollar spent on fertilizers by farmers produces roughly $8 worth of commercial crops. In the U.S., fertilizer expenses make up approximately 20% to 25% of current corn production costs. One of the primary drivers of the price of fertilizer is the cost of coal. Developing new technology to reduce the cost of fertilizer and decouple it from fossil fuel commodity prices promises to substantially increase the yield, cost efficiency, and sustainability of modern agriculture.

I have created a corporation, Demeter Agrochem LLC, for the purpose of investigating this technology. I am currently in the process of doing preliminary research, with the intention of eventually seeking startup funding once the groundwork is completed.