Emissions From Urea -- Alan Thatcher Comments.

In South Taranaki, New Zealand, the NZ Petrochem Company manufactures ammonia which is mostly converted into urea for fertilizer. The remainder is sold for industrial use

Alan Thatcher, from Massey University, is well qualified to comment on the environmental impacts of urea, so I invited him to share his thoughts on my blog. This is what Alan had to say:

"Urea is a potentially a very environmentally damaging substance, especially if used inappropriately.

• Emissions result from:
• CO2 discharges from manufacture (Petrochem).
• CO2 emissions from soil bacterial action removing the carbon fraction of the urea molecule.
• N20 emissions from soil microorganisms removing the N fraction of the urea molecule if that N is not taken up by pasture."
  

"Petrochem's product is almost entirely consumed by the domestic market. A carbon charge applied to urea should include the carbon fraction of the urea molecule. If also applied to imported urea at a rate that includes emissions from manufacture, this would 'level the playing field' for Petrochem. The funds raised from this carbon charge should at least be partly diverted to an education campaign, directed at farmers, on the best strategic use, plus research into mechanisms whereby farming can become less dependent on nitrogenous fertilizers and adapt to climate change."