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Sustainable
agriculture
in Europe
Abstract
The use of mineral fertilizer is an essential component of sustainable
agriculture. Mineral fertilizers are applied in order to balance the gap between
the nutrients required for optimal crop development and the nutrients
supplied by the soil and by available organic sources.
Contents
Introduction ................................................................ 5
Mineral fertilizer - essential component
of sustainable food production ...................................... 6
Agricultures contribution to climate change ................... 8
The role of mineral fertilizers in the
carbon footprint of crop production ............................. 10
Options to improve the carbon footprint of
fertilizers in crop production ...................................... 12
GHG emissions from nitrogen fertilizer production ........ 12
GHG emissions from nitrogen fertilizer application ....... 14
Introduction
Crops need nutrients to grow. They take up these nutrients in the form of
minerals irrespective of their origin, which might be organic (e.g. manures,
residues or soil organic matter) or mineral fertilizer. A recent review by
Erisman et al. (2008) estimates that today about 50% of the worlds population
is only able to be fed due to the use of mineral nitrogen fertilizers.
Figure 1
Supply of crop
residues and
organic fertilizer
Mineral
fertilizers
NPK
harvest
Organic
substances
humus
(crop residues
are decomposed
to minerals)
P
S
mineralisation
Export of nutrients
with the harvest
K
... Mg
Inevitable loss of nutrients to the
environment
Figure 2
160
140
130
120
110
100
1995 Year
2030
Agricultures contribution
to climate change
Figure 3 shows the contribution of different sectors to global GHG emissions in
2004 according to the 4th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC, 2007).
Figure 3
10.7%
19.4%
Industry
13.5%
13.1%
Agriculture
Transport
25.9%
Energy supply
17.4%
Forestry
Figure 4
0.8%
Production
of mineral N
fertilizer
10.7%
Buildings
& waste
treatment
18.6%
8.4%
Agricultural GHGs
excluding N2O from
soil (mainly CH4)
Industry
13.1%
Transport
3.8%
1.3%
25.9%
Energy supply
5.4%
12%
Forestry
Figure 5
1.2%
4.1%
90.8%*
Energy supply
Transport
Buildings & waste
Industry
Other N2O
emissions from
soil and organic
N sources
3.9%
Other agricultural
GHGs, mainly CH4
*including production
of N fertilizer (1.1%)
10
8
50%
intensity
100%
intensity
Economic optimum
N rate
4
2
0
0%
intensity
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
10
Figure 7
3000
2516
2000
1569
1500
1000
500
295
0
Without N
50% of optimum
Economic
optimum N rate
12000
10000
kg CO2-eq/ha
kg CO2-eq/ha
2500
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
Without N
50% of optimum
Economic
optimum N rate
11
Figure 9
3000
Figure 10
Hot-spots
n Other GHG
n N2O
n CO2
2500
2000
t CO2-eq/t N
kg CO2-eq/ha
1500
1000
3.7
0.8
3.4
2.3
1.8
Economic
optimum N rate
4.1
2
500
12
AN
30 year-old
technology
AN
Average
Europe (2006)
AN
Best Available
Technology (BAT)
Figure 11
3000
kg CO2-eq/ha
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
Without de-N2O
catalyst
With de-N2O
catalyst
13
Figure 12
N2O
N2O
NH4+
ammonium
NO2-
nitrite
Nitrification
14
NO3-
nitrate
NO2-
nitrite
Denitrification
N2
N2
gas
Figure 13
Default
IPCC factor
Urea
Urea ammonium
nitrate
Ammonium
sulphate
Ammonium
nitrate
Calcium ammonium
nitrate
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2
N2O emissions as % of applied N
15
Figure 14
1.28%
2.05%
4.67%
5000
kg CO2-eq/ha
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
Texture:
Loam
Drainage:
Good
Climate: Temperate
Loam
Clay
Poor
Poor
Temperate Temperate
Clay
Poor
Tropical
16
17
18
Conclusions
The following conclusions can be drawn
from this publication:
Mineral N fertilizers are essential to sustain
the crop yields needed to satisfy the
increasing global demand for food, feed and
bio-energy.
Agricultures contribution to climate change
is significant, with land use change (CO2
from deforestation), cattle farming (CH4 from
enteric fermentation), and crop production
(N2O emissions from organic and mineral N
inputs) being the major sources.
Producing agricultural crops on the existing
agricultural area at optimum intensity helps
to preserve natural ecosystems with their
high carbon sequestration potential and high
biodiversity.
Improved fertilizer production technology
(high energy efficiency, de-N2O catalysts)
combined with best agricultural management
practices enable a significant reduction in
the carbon footprint of crop production.
Future EU regulations on climate change
will most probably include measures for
agriculture.
Fertilizers Europe supports any action
towards improved nitrogen use efficiency
and is open to sharing its knowledge on
energy and GHG balances from fertilizer
production and use.
19
Annex
Fertilizers Europe carbon footprint reference values for European mineral
fertilizer production and use in 2011.
GHG emissions
Fertilizer
Fertilizer product Nutrient content
Fertilizer use
production
kg CO2-eq/
Ammonium nitrate
AN
33.5% N
1.18
0.00
1.26
CAN
27% N
1.00
0.00
0.89
Ammonium nitrosulphate
ANS
26% N, 14% S
0.83
0.00
1.10
Calcium nitrate
CN
15.5% N
0.68
0.00
0.65
Ammonium sulphate
AS
21% N, 24% S
0.58
0.00
0.98
Ammonium phosphates
DAP
0.00
0.76
Urea
Urea
46% N
0.91
0.73
2.37
UAN
30% N
0.82
0.25
1.40
NPK 15-15-15
NPK
15% N, 15%
P2O5, 15% K2O 0.76 0.00 0.56
Triple superphosphate
TSP
48% P2O5
Muriate of potash
Fertilizer production
GHG emissions and energy consumption
representing European production technology
in 2011, as provided by Fertilizers Europe in
2014 (calculated with FertEU Carbon Footprint
calculator V 1.0).
Key assumptions:
Emission and energy figures for fertilizer
production are simple averages, i.e. not
weighted according to production
volumes per site
Feedstock for ammonia production is
natural gas
20
Emissions from supply of energy (feedstock
and fuel) are included (EU average European
Ecoinvent 2.0, not weighted according to
production volumes per site)
Emissions from typical transport of raw
material is included (for details see FertEU
Carbon Footprint calculator V 1.0)
Steam export from ammonia, nitric acid and
sulphuric acid units is fully utilized in the site
steam network.
GHGs are converted into CO2 equivalents
(IPCC 2007, i.e. 1 kg N2O = 298 kg CO2-eq).
(soil effects)
Total
kg product
Energy
consumption*
kg CO2-eq/kg
product
Total
kg CO2-eq/kg
nutrient
Fertilizer
production
On-site
MJ/kg product
0.01
0.35
0.27
3.06
9.14
14.02
0.01
0.28
0.20
2.40
8.88
11.78
0.02
0.27
0.40
2.62
10.09
10.61
0.00
0.16
0.00
1.50
9.67
7.23
0.02
0.22
0.50
2.30
10.95
8.07
0.01
0.19
0.34
2.03
11.27
6.76
0.28
0.48
0.36
5.15
11.19
23.45
0.10
0.32
0.24
3.13
10.43
13.84
0.01
0.16
7.59
0.18
3.00
21
1.8
0.86
3.5
-1.51
5.4
Mono-ammonium phosphate
6.05
Di-ammonium phosphate
4.28
Urea 1.8
Liquid urea ammonium nitrate
Triple superphosphate
Muriate of potash
Source: KTBL (2005)
22
1.8
0.07
0
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