Dr. , a professor in the at the at the University of Guelph is part of an international research team developing green ammonia to replace what’s made from fossil fuels.
Green ammonia uses renewable and carbon-free resources instead and has the potential to enhance food production and provide clean fuel while mitigating climate change.
Ammonia is an important nitrogen fertilizer for Canadian farmers.
Wagner-Riddle is working with colleagues from the University of Maryland in the United States and Rothamsted Research in the United Kingdo to establish the . The NICCEE will be based at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and led by Dr. Xin Zhang.
Wagner-Riddle said pilot testing is now underway for technology that will allow small-scale production of green ammonia.
On-farm production could provide farmers with a reliable and sustainable source of fertilizer. However, as a low-carbon energy resource, green ammonia will also be attractive for power generation and shipping fuel, leading to greater demand, she said.
“How stakeholders use the technology could either help mitigate climate change or worsen nitrogen pollution,” she said.
“NICCEE is focused on the nitrogen problem as it is today, but also anticipating and proactively addressing future challenges, preventing them from becoming further complications.”
Figuring out the potential scientific, social and economic impacts of green ammonia technologies and developing best practices for nitrogen management with both agri-food and energy stakeholders is key.
NICCEE will pursue this through three interrelated programs:
1. An information hub will develop integrated models to monitor and predict the nitrogen flows from both agri-food and energy industry consumption for each country involved in the project and trace the global nitrogen cycle.
2. An innovation platform will use “living labs” — real-world settings where researchers collaborate with farmers and other stakeholders to explore green ammonia technologies. These living labs will provide up-to-date information on advances in the field and enable social scientists to translate research findings for use in policymaking and business as well as study how stakeholders make decisions about nitrogen use.
3. An education program will prepare the next generation to tackle the challenges of climate change and nitrogen management through transdisciplinary training and internship opportunities.
“We hear a lot about carbon when people talk about energy and climate change, but nitrogen needs to be in the public consciousness too,” said Wagner-Riddle.
