Nitrogen (ammonia)

Ammonia fixed from air using natural gas: the fertiliser that feeds roughly half of humanity and ties food to energy prices.

Fertilisers · No. 4

• Not on a critical list

Every breath is 78% nitrogen, yet turning that air into fertiliser takes so much gas it ties food to energy prices.

Chart: Illustration: Nitrogen (ammonia)

Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Nitrogen is never mined. Air is 78% nitrogen, but its paired atoms cling so tightly that splitting them needs high heat, pressure and hydrogen made from natural gas or coal.

Three things to know

1. Urea dominates the fertiliser trade because it is a solid, 46% nitrogen and cheap to ship.
2. US Gulf ammonia averaged $1,070 per short ton in 2022, then just $450 in 2025.
3. Nitrogen sits on no critical minerals list because its raw material is air, yet nearly half of humanity depends on it.

The journey

1. 1 Gas and airNatural gas or coal, plus air
2. 2 ReformingSteam splits methane to make hydrogen
3. 3 Haber-BoschHydrogen and nitrogen fused into ammonia
4. 4 Fertiliser formsUrea, ammonium nitrate, UAN or DAP
5. 5 FieldsSpread on crops, mostly cereals

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