Non-thermal plasma-enhanced organic fertiliser

Uses non-thermal plasma technology to enrich liquid organic materials, like livestock slurry, by stabilizing and fixing plant-available nitrogen.

Close up of a glowing plasma sphere with energy streams representing non thermal plasma technology for enhancing organic fertilizer

Readiness Level

Priorities for scaling

high-risk pilotingcatalysing development

This innovation uses non-thermal plasma technologies to enrich liquid organic materials such as livestock slurry through conserving and fixating plant-available nitrogen.

Plasma is the fourth state of matter, and can be artificially generated from subjecting a neutral gas to a strong electric field. Lighting, for example, is a common and naturally occuring generator of plasma. Non-thermal plasma refers to partially ionised plasma, meaning that only the electron temperature is highly elevated, while the rest of the gas, ions and neutral atoms, stay around room temperature. As such, nitrogen fixation through non-thermal plasma application is a form of biomimicry; In nature, lighting strikes with such energy that it breaks apart atmospheric nitrogen molecules, allowing it to ionise with atmospheric oxygen gas, forming reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, then absorbed into the water as nitrogen oxides.

This process can be industrialised and the activated gas can be applied to the liquid phase of an organic material. When lightning is discharged in the presence of liquid organic matter, e.g. livestock slurry, the formed reactive nitrogen gas is absorbed into the watery organic material. This both enriches the organic material with plant available nitrogen and stabilises its ammonium nitrogen, which reduces nitrogen losses. By inhibiting microbial activity, the plasma treatment also eliminates the formation of methane and stabilises the organic carbon and nitrogen until field application. Thus, with only air and renewable electricity, atmospheric nitrogen can be fixed into organic matter for enriched fertilisation.

NOTE: This process is similar to non-thermal plasma-based nitrogen fixation, with the difference being that in this case nitrogen is fixated into liquid organic matter rather than water.

Food System Area

agricultural inputs & primary production practiceswaste

The overarching problem addressed is the environmental footprint of conventional nitrogen fertiliser production, dominated by the fossil-fuel reliant, energy-intensive and highly polluting Haber-Bosch process. By enhancing the nutrient profile and stability of organic fertilisers, this innovation contributes to a circular agricultural system, reduces dependence on synthetic fertilisers, and mitigates environmental impacts of its conventional production and use. It further addresses inefficiencies in organic fertiliser use, including nutrient losses during storage and application, methane emissions from untreated organic waste, and the underutilization of agricultural byproducts, while benefiting from improved soil health and crop yields. Additionally, this innovation allows for more decentralised and on-site production, reducing transportation emissions and enabling more equitable fertiliser accessibility.

Problem area

reducing agricultural footprint

What impact could it have?

Human health impact

low

Direct health benefits of this innovation may include reduced field runoff due to more stabilised forms of nitrogen applied to the soils. This may reduce eutrophication and nitrous oxide emissions from the soils, improving water and air quality. This technology indirectly benefits human health by reducing air pollution from greenhouse gas emissions and associated health risks linked to traditional synthetic fertiliser production.

Environmental impact

high

Depending on to what extent this innovation may substitute or replace synthetic fertilisers in agricultural application, it is expected to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions relative to conventional synthetic fertiliser production processes, simultaneously eliminating the use of fossil fuel feedstocks and associated environmental consequences. Additionally, it may reduce leaching and field runoff due to more stabilised forms of nitrogen applied to the soils. This may reduce eutrophication and nitrous oxide emissions from the soils, improving water, air and soil quality and reducing acid rain.

Livelihood impact

medium - high

Impacts on livelihoods are expected to be medium to high, depending on the degree of centralization. Direct benefits may include more localised and increased income and economic viability for farmers and agricultural stakeholders. Additionally, improved accessibility of cost-effective plant nutrition can be expected to increase food security.

Socio-cultural impact

low - medium

The socio-cultural impacts of the innovation are expected to be context-specific. The ‘organic’ nature of such fertilisers may be questioned in regards to social acceptability due to the plasma-enhanced enrichment. The disruption to existing fertiliser value chains and market systems may lead to further social acceptability constraints, particularly related to public perception of costs, infrastructure requirements, technological maturity, and the absence of supportive regulatory frameworks and policies.

Equity impact

medium

mpacts on equity are expected to be mixed and medium in scale. Due to renewable energy requirements, changes in energy access and affordability may be a challenge for disadvantaged communities depending on costs. High initial costs and technical expertise requirements may create barriers for smallholder farmers and developing regions, potentially widening equity gaps. The small-scale and on-site modular design may allow for decentralisation, spreading power from few large actors to many small actors.

Potential for transformative impact

high

This novel non-thermal plasma technology is a game changing approach to nitrogen fixation and circular agricultural waste-streams, not only adding plant-available nitrogen to soils in a sustainable and potentially net-zero manner, but also improving the field-application properties of organic fertilisers in regards to environmental consequences such as emissions and harmful run-off.

What factors influence scaling?

This innovation uses agricultural waste streams as input, thus bundling with technologies involved in the processing and proper preparation of such. It also needs to be integrated with renewable energy generation to supply electricity. Additionally, potential integration with irrigation systems should be considered.

This innovation is applicable to global geographic contexts, particularly for soils that work well with nitrate fertilizers. It’s particularly suited to decentralized and smaller-scale contexts where local renewable energy is affordable. Due to ongoing development, small-scale food system actors with enough financial resources will be likely to take up this innovation first, e.g. orchard farmers. It is very well suited for decentralisation, but start-up costs currently pose a barrier for uptake in resource-poor areas. Standard slurry spreading or some sort of irrigation system is highly beneficial for application.

The potential for disruption is low to medium depending on scale of production and efficacy of the product, particularly concerning the extent to which it may replace existing synthetic fertiliser production systems and associated value chains.

N2 Applied

New value of agricultural waste may encourage larger livestock production, leading to increased emissions. A significant increase in energy demand to scale the innovation could strain renewable energy grids, particularly in regions with limited infrastructure, potentially diverting energy from other critical use or changing commodity prices. Unintended environmental impacts associated with the production and sourcing of renewable energy are possible.

Bright lightning bolt striking over open grassy field during thunderstorm

Where is acceleration most needed?

Accelerator scores reflect the degree of action needed across eight key accelerators of change that can enable an innovation to scale. A higher score signals that greater effort and support are needed in that area to unlock uptake at scale. Click on each accelerator to see what’s been achieved and what still needs attention.

Building Trust

Medium

Building Trust

Building trust amongst actors in the food system is important for such on-site modular designs, as primary producers may integrate with the fertiliser production industry – even more so when agricultural waste streams are to be included. The proposed changes furthermore primarily affect fossil fuel industries and current production value chains, aligning with global efforts to shift away from them, potentially necessitating regulatory framework adjustments. In order to achieve the full potential of the innovation and slowly phase-out the fossil-fueled fertilizer production, it is crucial to build trust and coordination among traditional producers.

Transforming Mindsets

Medium

Transforming Mindsets

This innovation enriches organic matter through novel plasma discharge technologies, which may be controversial and difficult to understand for people concerned with the ‘organic’ nature of the fertiliser products. Other than this, it falls in line with a global shift to greener technologies and does not introduce a new or novel product; rather a new way of producing a similar output.

Enabling Social License

High

Enabling Social License

Gaining social licence is crucial to drive research and development efforts forward, especially as much development is required before achieving commercial viability.

Ensuring Stable Finance

High

Ensuring Stable Finance

Securing stable financing is essential to support research and development efforts aimed at optimising the nitrogen fixation process and achieving commercial viability.

Designing Market Incentives

Medium

Designing Market Incentives

As this innovation is not producing a new output, there is already a healthy market present. However, financial incentives remain essential to spread risks. This technology is still new and immature, requiring further development for commercial scale-up.

Changing Policies and Regulations

High

Changing Policies and Regulations

With any new and novel type of technology come potential changes and expansions in policy and regulations, particularly in regard to the involvement of organic matter. Decentralised production further poses significant safety and security risks, necessitating regulatory monitoring and potential adjustments.

Safeguarding Against Undesirable Effects

High

Safeguarding Against Undesirable Effects

Non-thermal plasma remains relatively new in agricultural application, requiring consistent monitoring and evaluation to safeguard from undesirable effects. Economic viability remains of paramount importance, necessitating continuous market monitoring.

Developing Transition Pathways

High

Developing Transition Pathways

This innovation competes with large-scale centralised fertiliser production systems, representing a new generation of technologies. Preparation of infrastructure and an enabling policy and regulatory environment is crucial for a smooth transitional. A widespread renewable grid is also of utmost importance.

Reference

N2 Applied. https://n2applied.com/the-technology/#:~:text=The%20N2%20Plasma%20Technology%20runs,yield%20at%20the%20same%20time.

Aceto, D., Ambrico, P. F., & Esposito, F. (2024). Air cold plasmas as a new tool for nitrogen fixation in agriculture: Underlying mechanisms and current experimental insights. Frontiers in Physics, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphy.2024.1455481

Corless, V. (2024, June 17). Electrochemical wizardry conjures nitrate at room temperature from air. Royal Society of Chemistry. https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/electrochemical-wizardry-conjures-nitrate-at-room-temperature-from-air/4019619.article

Nguyen Van Duc Long, Al-Bared, M., Lin, L., Davey, K., Tran, N. N., Pourali, N., Ostrikov, K. K., Rebrov, E., & Hessel, V. (2022). Understanding plasma-assisted ammonia synthesis via crossing discipline borders of literature: A critical review. Chemical Engineering Science, 263, 118097. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ces.2022.118097

Rouwenhorst, K. H. R., Engelmann, Y., van ‘t Veer, K., Postma, R. S., Bogaerts, A., & Lefferts, L. (2020). Plasma-driven catalysis: Green ammonia synthesis with intermittent electricity. Green Chemistry, 19. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0GC02058C

Wu, S., Thapa, B., Rivera, C., & Yuan, Y. (2021). Nitrate and nitrite fertilizer production from air and water by continuous flow liquid-phase plasma discharge. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 9(2), 104761. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2020.104761