Ammonia production tech startup believes it can cut nation’s fertiliser bill by a tenth

Fertiliser maker PlasmaLeap, which recently raised $2.9 million to support commercialisation of its ammonia production method, has claimed that it could save Australia’s farmers $400 million annually.

In a statement on Monday, PlasmaLeap said it is trying to displace the Haber–Bosch process, which was developed early in the 1900s and remains the dominant way of creating ammonia.

PlasmaLeap said its method uses “renewable electricity, air, and water” and had been scaled up to production rates making it economically competitive, “reaching 20 kilowatt-hours per kilogram for green ammonia production.”

It believes it can save rough;y a tenth of Australia’s $4 billion annual fertiliser cost.

“While the Haber-Bosch process is around 10 kWh/kg for Ammonia, our technology eliminates transportation costs, making us economically viable,” said PJ Cullen, who is the company’s co-founder and Chief Scientist as well as a Professor at University of Sydney.

“The Haber-Bosch process has reached its limit. It’s incredibly energy-efficient, but it achieves this by using cheap gas and releasing CO2 to get the hydrogen. It only works on a large scale, necessitating long-distance transportation.”

PlasmaLeap is hoping to commercialise its technology for onsite ammonia production

It estimates that by taking out transport costs, “utilising renewable power generation, and accessing carbon credits,” it could cut fertiliser prices for farmers “in the region” of ten per cent.

One estimate published in 2022 is that the supply chain for nitrogen fertilisers is responsible for 2.1 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

According to an article last month, the company has raised $2.9 million through a convertible note, with Twynam, Artesian, New Energy Technology, and The Melt as investors.

Other companies trying to create emissions-free onsite ammonia production include Monash University spinout Jupiter Ionics, which announced a $9 million capital raise in March.

Jupiter’s method uses nitrogen from air in combination with hydrogen produced through the electrolysis of water to create ammonia, while PlasmaLeap describes its method as using “a plasma bubble reactor, driven by nanosecond pulses interfacing plasma directly with water”.  

Picture: supplied

Further reading

UNSW chemistry researchers get closer to cost-effective green ammonia manufacture

UNSW researchers create device showing potential for onsite ammonia production on farms

Green ammonia company Jupiter Ionics raises $9 million