Emission Reduction
Key Facts
-47% NO₃⁻ leaching
-33% CO₂
In the EU, the agricultural sector plays a notable role in overall emissions, accounting for approximately 11% of the EU’s total domestic greenhouse gas emissions[1]. The main sources of emissions within agriculture are methane from enteric fermentation in livestock and nitrous oxide from soils[2]. Despite some reductions over the years, agricultural emissions have remained relatively constant since 2005[3].
Agriculture’s contribution to emissions is significant due to the nature of farming practices, including livestock management and nitrogen fertiliser use. Reducing emissions in this sector is crucial for the EU to meet its climate goals, which include a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and achieve climate neutrality by 2050[4].
Urease and nitrification inhibitors play a significant role in reducing nitrogen losses from nitrogen fertilisation and support the development of a modern and thriving agricultural sector within planetary boundaries.
[1] Sector by sector: where do global greenhouse gas emissions come from? – Our World in Data
[2] Climate impact of the EU agrifood system
[3] Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture in Europe, EEA
[4] Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture in Europe, EEA
Urease inhibitors (UIs)
Urease inhibitors (UI) mitigate the negative effects of agricultural emissions.
In the EU, nitrogen fertilisers represent approximately 75% of the annual fertiliser consumption.
Readily available, Urea it is an attractive fertiliser for farmers due to its high nitrogen content, low cost, and good water solubility. However, ammonia volatilisation potential after field application represents a major challenge for farmer and a threat for the environment.
Ammonia can be transported over long distances causing eutrophication and acidification in non-agricultural areas, e.g. rain forests. This can be mitigated to a large extent by using urease inhibitors. Urea treated with urease inhibitors can contribute to a 70 % reduction of ammonia (NH3)emissions and 22,5 % reduction of nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from mineral fertilisers[1] .
[1] IFA data – average 2015-18 EU 27+UK and EMEP/EEA air pollution emission inventory guidebook 2019
Nitrification inhibitors (NIs)
Nitrification Inhibitors applied to urea and ammonium containing fertilisers reduce nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions and nitrate (NO₃⁻) leaching.
Research shows that using nitrification inhibitors (NIs) with fertilisers containing nitrogen in the form of urea and ammonium can mitigate nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions by 44% [1], leading to a significant reduction in the environmental footprint of the agriculture sector.
The overall potential impact of inhibitor technology on emissions from nitrogen fertilisers sums up to about 32 million tons of CO₂ equivalents which translates into a reduction of approximately 33% of the carbon footprint of current nitrogen fertiliser use. This is equivalent to removing 8.9 Million cars from the street!
These figures demonstrate that efficiency enhancers like UI and NI are a key enabler in reducing agricultural emissions and can help the agri-food sector contribute to the broader goal of a climate-neutral EU by 2050.
[1] Chen, et al. (2023)
Nitrogen is the most important nutrient, being the motor of growth. However, there are some undesirable effects associated with its application:
- Ammonia (NH3) emissions from Urea containing fertilisers,
- Nitrous oxide (N₂O) emission from all nitrogen-containing fertilisers and
- Nitrates (NO₃⁻) leaching from nitrogen-containing fertilisers.
Applying urease inhibitors has the potential to reduce NH3 emissions by 70%.
Nitrification inhibitors can reduce N₂O emissions by 44% and nitrates leaching by 47%.
