Waste-to-ammonia conversion

The conversion of waste materials, such as nitrate waste commonly found in manure, agricultural runoff, dairy lagoons, and liquid waste discharged from septic tanks, into ammonia.

Readiness Level

Priorities for scaling

high-risk pilotingcatalysing researchcatalysing development

Waste-to-Ammonia Conversion pertains to the conversion of waste materials, such as nitrate waste commonly found in manure, agricultural runoff, dairy lagoons, and liquid waste discharged from septic tanks, into ammonia. This ammonia serves as a clean nitrogen source for plant nutrition. Various methods facilitate this transformation by harnessing the organic content present in waste as a source of carbon and energy for microbial or enzymatic reactions. These methods include microbial ammonia fixation (employing bacteria with nitrogen-fixing capabilities to convert organic waste into ammonia), anaerobic digestion (where organic waste is converted into biogas containing ammonia), hydrothermal liquefaction (resulting in liquid bio-oil and various gaseous products, with ammonia as a byproduct), chemical hydrolysis (involving chemical agents to break down waste, producing ammonia from nitrogen-containing compounds), membrane-based separation processes (passing residual flows along membranes to separate the minerals) and enzymatic processes (where enzymes catalyze the breakdown of waste, yielding ammonia as a byproduct).

Food System Area

agricultural inputs & primary production practiceswasteregulatory aspects

This innovation addresses two primary challenges. Firstly, it tackles the issue of sustainable nutrient management in agriculture, and secondly, it seeks to reduce reliance on high-energy, fossil-fuel-dependent synthetic fertilizers, thereby contributing to the decarbonization of ammonia production. Additionally, this innovation aims to mitigate environmental pollution caused by waste accumulation, thereby reducing the agricultural footprint and enhancing overall system productivity.

Problem area

reducing agricultural footprintincreasing [system] productivity

What impact could it have?

Human health impact

low

Indirect health benefits are expected to be of low significance and dependent on the final products, primarily through the reduction of health risks associated with traditional chemical fertilisers, which include exposure of agricultural workers to harmful chemicals and pollution.

Environmental impact

high

The environmental benefits are anticipated to be significant, with the potential to reduce or replace energy-intensive synthetic fertilizer production, minimize harmful substances released during waste decomposition, and contribute to waste reduction, circular economy practices, and the closing of the nitrate cycle.

Livelihood impact

medium - high

This innovation is likely to have medium to large positive impacts on livelihoods, including increased income for waste management facilities, reduced reliance on costly synthetic fertilisers, and improved food security through enhanced nutrient availability.

Socio-cultural impact

medium - high

The socio-cultural impacts are expected to be of medium significance, as this innovation promotes a circular systems mindset within the agricultural sector. However, it may encounter social acceptance barriers related to waste management in the context of food production.

Equity impact

medium

The impacts on equity are mixed and medium in scale, with economic opportunities for farmers arising from the utilization of manure and waste as resources. However, barriers may exist for small-scale farmers, such as initial investments and capacity-building requirements. This innovation also presents opportunities for small-scale ammonia synthesis, potentially promoting rural livelihoods.

Potential for transformative impact

medium - high

Depending on its effectiveness, it has the capacity to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, offer a zero-carbon or low-carbon alternative to synthetic fertilizers, enhance nutrient management practices, and contribute to the development of circular agricultural systems.

What factors influence scaling?

With the right policies in place, sustainable ammonia could be widely cost competitive with grey ammonia from 2030 onwards. In the long term, this means that sustainable ammonia will not only be a lead in renewable fertilizer production, but is also likely to become the main commodity for transporting renewable energy (hydrogen) between continents. Venture capital and private investment are being directed towards renewable energy technologies, hydrogen production, and ammonia production processes. Due to this, the global sustainable ammonia market is expected to continue expanding at a rapid pace.

There is potential for bundling this innovation with smart waste management systems, energy infrastructure, and the incorporation of carbon capture and utilization technologies to reduce indirect carbon dioxide emissions, such as embodied carbon energy and infrastructure emissions.

This innovation has a global reach.

This innovation is relevant for food system actors of all scales. However, the adoption may face barriers, including high initial investment and operational costs, technological complexities, and the need for specialized knowledge and infrastructure.

This innovation has the potential for a medium to high level of disruption to food systems, production systems and value chains, affecting waste management practices, the fertiliser industry, and the market for synthetic fertilisers.

Open the dynamic stakeholder map to see the current landscape: https://embed.kumu.io/d05aa63d6eef3b85bd0bc96144070ef7

Possible unintended consequences include shifts in waste management dynamics, changes in market prices of fertilisers affecting vulnerable populations, shifts in power relations within the agriculture and waste management sectors, and unintended environmental impacts associated with the production and sourcing of renewable energy, which could influence equity considerations.

Several studies have been conducted on the effects of these technologies, revealing the potential. Notably, a nitrogen mass balance calculation showed that 8.9% of total nitrogen in compost leachate could be recovered. Additionally, studies have also demonstrated the potential of this innovation to generate green ammonia and serve as an energy vector for the emerging hydrogen economy. Another study indicated nitrate-to-ammonia conversion by electrocatalysis of industrial and agricultural waste, achieving significant nitrate conversion and ammonia selectivity improvements.

showing factors influencing scaling of waste to ammonia production, including renewable energy infrastructure, investment costs, and market policies

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 - High

Building Trust

Establishing trust involves navigating a complex regulatory environment in waste management and fostering close collaboration between the waste management and agricultural sectors.

Transforming Mindsets

Medium - High

Transforming Mindsets

This innovation is expected to drive a shift in waste management mindsets.

Enabling Social License

Medium

Enabling Social License

Achieving social license relies on close collaboration between the waste management and agricultural sectors, exerting pressure on stakeholders through the social license to promote the shift to waste-to-ammonia conversion.

Ensuring Stable Finance

Medium - High

Ensuring Stable Finance

To ensure stability in finance, high-risk pilot projects are required to solidify cost-effectiveness and validate commercial viability.

Designing Market Incentives

High

Designing Market Incentives

The innovation necessitates financial incentives to propel the initial shift and achieve economies of scale. Potential high start-up costs related to infrastructure must also be considered.

Changing Policies and Regulations

Medium - High

Changing Policies and Regulations

Adapting to changing policies and regulations within the complex waste management sector is crucial.

Safeguarding Against Undesirable Effects

Medium

Safeguarding Against Undesirable Effects

Collaboration between the waste management and agricultural sectors should involve continuous adjustments and monitoring to mitigate undesirable effects.

Developing Transition Pathways

High

Developing Transition Pathways

Transition pathways should be developed as next generations of clean ammonia production emerge. Waste-to-ammonia conversion not only generates clean ammonia but also reuses waste, aligning with a broader sustainability agenda.

Reference

Adeniyi, A., Bello, I., Mukaila, T., Sarker, N. C., & Hammed, A. (2023). Trends in Biological Ammonia Production. In BioTech (Vol. 12, Issue 2, p. 41). MDPI AG. https://doi.org/10.3390/biotech12020041

Arora, P., Hoadley, A. F. A., Mahajani, S. M., & Ganesh, A. (2016). Small-Scale Ammonia Production from Biomass: A Techno-Enviro-Economic Perspective. In Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research (Vol. 55, Issue 22, pp. 6422–6434). American Chemical Society (ACS). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.5b04937

Daiyan, R., Tran-Phu, T., Kumar, P., Iputera, K., Tong, Z., Leverett, J., Khan, M. H. A., Asghar Esmailpour, A., Jalili, A., Lim, M., Tricoli, A., Liu, R.-S., Lu, X., Lovell, E., & Amal, R. (2021). Nitrate reduction to ammonium: from CuO defect engineering to waste NOx-to-NH3economic feasibility. In Energy & Environmental Science (Vol. 14, Issue 6, pp. 3588–3598). Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). https://doi.org/10.1039/d1ee00594d

Foster, W., Azimov, U., Gauthier-Maradei, P., Molano, L. C., Combrinck, M., Munoz, J., Esteves, J. J., & Patino, L. (2021). Waste-to-energy conversion technologies in the UK: Processes and barriers – A review. In Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (Vol. 135, p. 110226). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2020.110226

Gu, N., Liu, J., Ye, J., Chang, N., & Li, Y.-Y. (2019). Bioenergy, ammonia and humic substances recovery from municipal solid waste leachate: A review and process integration. In Bioresource Technology (Vol. 293, p. 122159). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2019.122159

van Linden, N., Spanjers, H., & van Lier, J. B. (2022). Fuelling a solid oxide fuel cell with ammonia recovered from water by vacuum membrane stripping. In Chemical Engineering Journal (Vol. 428, p. 131081). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2021.131081

Zhang, T., Wu, X., Fan, X., Tsang, D. C. W., Li, G., & Shen, Y. (2019). Corn waste valorization to generate activated hydrochar to recover ammonium nitrogen from compost leachate by hydrothermal assisted pretreatment. In Journal of Environmental Management (Vol. 236, pp. 108–117). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.01.018