A project to convert wind energy into anhydrous ammonia fertilizer is underway at the University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC).
Around $300 million of anhydrous ammonia nitrogen fertiliser is used in Minnesota every year, all of which is derived from fossil fuel energy sources – this project aims to develop a fossil-fuel-free means of manufacturing it.
The University of Minnesota website is here and there’s an interesting article summarising the project here.
Construction started in June 2010, and it should produce fertilizer by the end of the year.
The NH3 plant will use the surplus energy generated onsite by a 1.65-megawatt wind turbine that already helps power the nearby campus.
The U.S. is the largest importer of fertilizer in the world, with more than half its NH3 coming from overseas. The country imported about $1.4 billion worth of NH3 in 2009, or 6.1 million U.S. tons, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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