Yes, we can make products without petroleum.
In an innovative development, researchers have designed a system that uses wind energy to produce anhydrous ammonia, a common nitrogen-based fertilizer.
The $3.75 million system uses surplus energy generated by a 1.65 MW turbine that powers a nearby university campus. An air separation unit pulls nitrogen from the air and the turbine powers large electrolyzers that separate water into hydrogen and oxygen.
Nitrogen and hydrogen are then synthesized into anhydrous ammonia using a century-old chemical process called Haber-Bosch. Using wind power and this proven technology makes the process carbon neutral.
Construction began this week and fertilizer will be produced by the end of the year. The fertilizer will be used on the university’s farm land in Minnesota.
Michael Reese, director of the University of Minnesota Renewable Energy Center, said in an interview with the Daily Caller, "Rather than put that investment in transmission lines, why don’t we put it into an energy intense industry in rural areas where this renewable energy is at?"
According to the USDA, the U.S. is the largest importer of fertilizer in the world – over half our nitrogen comes from overseas worth about $1.4 billion in 2009.
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