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If fertilizer were made from Oil, I'd be concerned. But other, more abundant hydrocarbons power the green revolution.
by ivankirigin 18y ago
If fertilizer were made from Oil, I'd be concerned. But other, more abundant hydrocarbons power the green revolution.
- joshwa 18y agoWell, one major component is Natural Gas or Coal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haber_process http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haber_process > The Haber process now produces 100 million tons of nitrogen fertilizer per year, mostly in the form of anhydrous ammonia, ammonium nitrate, and urea. 3-5% of world natural gas production is consumed in the Haber process (~1-2% of the world's annual energy supply). That fertilizer is responsible for sustaining one-third of the Earth's population... This actually doesn't take into account the energy to bring the components to the high temperatures required, either, usually supplied by electricity. The output: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UAN http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UAN
- ivankirigin 18y agoNatural Gas and coal are good to go for centuries. That's my point.