Ammonia has been feeding the world for decades as a fertilizer and is now rapidly emerging as a carbon-free fuel for shipping and industry. But if we focus only on CO₂ emissions, we risk creating new nitrogen problems, warns nitrogen expert Jan Willem Erisman in an article published in the journal One Earth.

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/37046064

Still, Erisman warns against focusing only on “green” production. “We mainly see ammonia as a climate-friendly fuel for ships, as it does not produce CO₂ emissions,” he says. “But during use, ammonia can leak into soil, water, or air, and burning it releases nitrous oxide and nitrogen oxides.”

Nitrous oxide is a powerful greenhouse gas, while nitrogen oxides contribute to air pollution, such as ozone and fine particles. Through rainfall, nitrogen oxides end up in seas and oceans, causing over-fertilization, which is another threat to biodiversity

NOX has a CO2e impact of 275x or thereabouts from memory. Atmospheric concentrations have been increasing alarmingly, see this chart, selects N2O from the drop down list

https://capegrim.csiro.au/