# Nitrogen (ammonia): Emissions

Fertiliser's surprisingly heavy carbon footprint

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/nitrogen/emissions/

Fertiliser's surprisingly heavy carbon footprint What this tab covers The greenhouse-gas footprint of the commodity at a global level, split by lifecycle phase: extraction (or farming), refining and processing, movement, usage, and recycling or end of life. Intensities are per unit of product; the global total combines intensity with world output. Also covers other environmental impacts and the main levers to cut emissions. Emission intensity 10.5 t CO2e per t N range about 5-21 by region · cradle-to-grave, global average 2018; Latin America about double the average Global emissions per year 1,130 Mt CO2e per year 2018 · published total for the synthetic N fertiliser supply chain, about 2.1% of global GHG emissions

Per t of nitrogen (N) supplied as synthetic fertiliser, cradle-to-grave including field emissions. Intensity: Menegat, Ledo and Tirado (2022), Scientific Reports. Global total: Menegat et al. (2022).

#### Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
 Refining / processing 38.8% Movement 2.6% Usage 58.6%

#### Footprint by lifecycle phase

| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Extraction** | included in manufacturing in the source | – | natural gas and coal supply, including methane leaks upstream | Not reported separately by Menegat et al. | Menegat et al. (2022) |
| **Refining / processing** | about 4.1 t CO2e per t N (438.5 Mt); ammonia alone about 2.4 t CO2 per t NH3 | 38.8% | steam reforming of gas or coal gasification, Haber-Bosch synthesis, nitric acid N2O | Coal-based ammonia emits roughly twice gas-based; China's manufacturing intensity about 5.7 t CO2e per t N against India's about 3.0 (derived) | Menegat et al. (2022); IEA Ammonia Technology Roadmap 2021 |
| **Movement** | about 0.28 t CO2e per t N (29.8 Mt) | 2.6% | shipping, rail and truck of urea and ammonia | small share | Menegat et al. (2022) |
| **Usage** | about 6.1 t CO2e per t N (field use) | 58.6% | direct soil N2O (379.9 Mt), leaching N2O (130.1 Mt), urea CO2 release (86.0 Mt), volatilisation N2O (66.3 Mt) | N2O has a 100-year warming potential of 273 (IPCC AR6); urea releases the CO2 captured in making it once applied | Menegat et al. (2022); IPCC AR6 |
| **Recycling / end of life** | not applicable | – | fixed nitrogen is not recycled; manure and legumes return some N | losses to water are counted in field use | USGS MCS 2026 |

#### Other environmental impacts

Nitrate leaching pollutes groundwater, and runoff causes coastal dead zones. Ammonia volatilisation forms fine particulate air pollution. Ammonia is toxic and ammonium nitrate is an explosion hazard.

#### Levers to cut emissions

- Better nutrient management could cut N2O by 0.03-0.7 Gt CO2e a year by 2050 (Menegat et al. 2022)
- Carbon capture on reformers (blue ammonia) and electrolytic hydrogen (green), at 10-100% higher cost (IEA 2021)
- Abate nitric acid N2O with catalysts
- Nitrification inhibitors, coated urea and precision placement
- Replace some synthetic N with manure and legumes

#### India

India accounted for 14.7% of world fertiliser-N emissions (165.5 Mt CO2e in 2018), mostly from field use; its gas-based urea plants are relatively efficient, but the Talcher coal-gas plant will raise intensity (Menegat et al. 2022; content tile).
 Emission figures are indicative global averages from the life-cycle studies named; actual footprints vary widely by site, energy mix and method.

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/nitrogen/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/nitrogen/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/nitrogen/correlation/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/nitrogen/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/nitrogen/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/nitrogen/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/nitrogen/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/nitrogen/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/nitrogen/movement/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/nitrogen/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/nitrogen/characteristics/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/nitrogen/links/index.md)