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The development of new types of urea is gaining momentum. Author/Source: ChemNet China. Date: August 24, 2021. Page views: 34. These new urea products help improve quality and efficiency while promoting green growth and contributing to the “dual carbon” goals. Currently, the annual production volume of various types of new urea nationwide has exceeded 5 million tons. The potential for reducing fertilizer usage with these products is 20%, while their potential for increasing crop yields is 15%. Driven by food security, the need to reduce costs while improving efficiency, and the goals related to carbon emissions, new types of urea will see rapid development in the coming years, with its agricultural use remaining stable at around 10 million tons. This is information received from the “Value-Added Fertilizers Survey (Shandong Leg)” campaign launched last week by the Agri-inputs Herald Media Center under China Chemical Industry News Co., Ltd. Yuan Liang, deputy director of the Dezhou Experimental Station of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and an associate researcher at the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning of the same academy, believes that green and efficient fertilizer production technologies have enriched and developed the theories, technical strategies, and industrial approaches for innovating high-efficiency chemical fertilizers, serving as a new engine for improving the efficiency of the nutrients in fertilizers and driving comprehensive upgrading of China’s nitrogen fertilizer industry. Gu Zongqin, chairman of the China Nitrogen Fertilizer Industry Association, said that China’s annual urea production is about 54 million tons, of which approximately 15 million tons is used directly in agriculture. The annual production of new types of urea accounts for roughly 30% of the total actual agricultural urea output. “Breakthroughs are urgently needed in the technology for producing stable urea; developing catalysts that can withstand high temperatures and corrosion, as well as efficient addition processes and equipment, is of paramount importance, requiring joint efforts from research institutions and urea manufacturers. ”Gu Zongqin said. In the view of Zhang Fusuo, Dean of the Institute for Green Agricultural Development at China Agricultural University and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the product design of fertilizer companies should take into account both the needs of agricultural production and those of green consumption. Data shows that currently, fertilizers contribute 50% to 60% to increased production. At the same time, the utilization rate of chemical fertilizers in our country remains at a low level, with the loss rate of nitrogen accounting for about 30% to 40%. To this end, domestic and international research institutions and enterprises have carried out numerous innovative efforts in areas such as urease inhibitors, combinations of nitration inhibitors, synergists and additives, as well as addition technologies. Fertilizer companies from home and abroad presented at the event the progress they have made in the development of new types of urea. “At our company, the proportion of high-efficiency urea in relation to regular urea reaches 50%. In 2020 alone, sales of high-efficiency urea amounted to 700,000 tons. Compared to conventional urea, the water-contact film controlled-release fertilizer developed by the company can increase the utilization rate of nitrogen fertilizer by nearly 20%. In addition, the SuperControl urea developed by the company in collaboration with BASF achieves an ammonia volatilization suppression rate of over 50%, reducing ammonia volatilization emissions by more than 700,000 tons per year. ”said Liu Xingxu, chairman of Xinlianxin Group. “Developed countries began promoting innovative, high-efficiency fertilizers as early as 20 years ago, in order to improve fertilizer utilization and reduce ammonia emissions and nitrogen loss. For instance, Corteva Agriscience’s nitrogen stabilizer ‘Corteva Aitian’ can reduce ammonia volatilization by 60%–70%, thereby improving nitrogen utilization efficiency. ”Tan Yongping, Business Manager for China at Koch Agronomic Services LLC in the United States, said. “The polycarbonase urea developed by Beijing Zhongnong Ruiliyuan enables a 8.25% increase in wheat yield per mu, even with a 60% reduction in usage. The first domestic carbon label for agricultural products, ‘Tianmu Fruit Bamboo Shoots’, was awarded to Taihuyuan Town in Lin’an, Zhejiang. One of the key reasons for this is the use of polycarbonase urea, which can convert carbon dioxide in the air into nutrients such as amino acids. ”According to Sun Liwen, the inventor of polycarbonase fertilizer. Yu Changzhi, an expert in value-added fertilizer technology, believes that over the next 5 to 10 years, green and efficient value-added fertilizers will enter a period of rapid development, with an annual production volume reaching 35 million tons. These fertilizers will account for more than 50% of the urea, ammonium phosphate, and compound fertilizers used directly in farmland. Their application on 1 billion mu of crops could result in an increase in yield of 20 billion kilograms, making a significant contribution to reducing the use of chemical fertilizers while still increasing yields in an environmentally friendly manner.