The global fertilizer industry has long devoted a lot of energy and resources to developing low-carbon fertilizers. The success of these green manures depends, particularly in the United States, on their ROI (return on investment) for farmers and on financial and regulatory incentives from governments. These fertilizers, generally considered as complements and not substitutes for chemical fertilizers, are the subject of a lively debate in the United States.
Last spring, the U.S. Treasury released guidelines for a tax credit – dubbed 40B – that includes a Department of Agriculture pilot program on Climate Smart Agricultural Pilot Program in addition to SAF sustainable aviation fuel. This program has enabled farmers practicing conservation agriculture (no-till, cover crops, and the use of enhanced nitrogen fertilizers or EENF) to claim a reduced carbon intensity (CI) score for their maize. More generally, there is also a so-called 45Z credit which benefits the production of biofuels.
Fertilizers with improved efficiency
But what is an NFFE? According to the Association of American Plant Food Control Officials (AAPFCO), “an improved efficiency fertilizer is an input that reduces nutrient losses and limits their dispersion in the environment such as gaseous losses, leaching or runoff. NFFE is not exactly new. They have been around for decades, such as nitrification inhibitors, urease inhibitors and slow-release fertilizers.
Neither organic products nor green ammonia are part of the SAF program. Indeed, the term organic, strictly speaking, applies to biospeticides, beneficial microbes (or biofertilizers) and biostimulants. Green ammonia is chemically identical to traditional ammonia, but is not produced by fossil fuels but by renewable electricity that combines hydrogen from water and nitrogen from the air.
US-based Talus Renewables has built a modular green ammonia system that could be rapidly deployed in sub-Saharan Africa where farmers often don’t have access to a basic nitrogen fertilizer. Green ammonia could double crop yields in Africa and reduce water consumption by 30%.
Returning to the SAF pilot program, although its goal is to incentivize the biofuels industry to adopt greener farming practices, there are farmers who doubt that it will be enough to spark a decidedly green turn. The reason for this is the modest premiums granted to farmers. It would not sufficiently list the cost of change for American farmers. In the end, it’s all about ROI for farmers. Farmers are generally looking for a 3-to-1 ROI on the use of new products.
In any case, the American manufacturers of new fertilisers believe in it. They have invested $2.4 billion a year for the past three years to upgrade their fertilizer plants so that they can meet the various U.S. assistance programs for the use of greener inputs.
Framed
Organic fertilizers
The American company Pivot Bio has developed a nitrogen fertilizer called Proven 40, which is sold at a lower price than synthetic fertilizers, but cannot completely replace synthetic fertilizers. It is, on the other hand, an excellent complement to the latter. Farmers replace up to 40 pounds of synthetic nitrogen per acre with the microbial nitrogen that is Proven 40.
Other organic products, similar to the Proven 40, are supplements rather than substitutes for synthetic fertilizers. This means that it represents an additional cost for farmers and not a saving. Therefore, investments in the fertilizer industry should focus on their financial profitability.La société ADM a mis au point un biostimulant baptisé NeoVita 43. Ses inventeurs le comparent au Gatorade, boisson sportive qui fournit une énergie instantanément. Il est une source de nutrition instantanée qui permet au sol de démarrer le processus de nitrification.
Source : Successfull Farming