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Nitrogen-based fertilizers will gradually become the mainstream in the market! Author/Source: Chuan Jinxiang Date: 2021-10-29 Clicks: 24 Currently, there are two main types of compound fertilizers in the market: nitrate-based compound fertilizers and urea-based compound fertilizers. Which one will become the dominant type of compound fertilizer in the future? Recently, Li Xuchu, vice president of Sichuan Jinxiang Sairui Chemical Co., Ltd., analyzed this topic and elaborated in detail to the Agricultural Inputs Guide on the advantages of nitrate-based fertilizers over urea-based fertilizers. Li Xuchu, Vice President of Sichuan Jinxiang Sairui Chemical Co., Ltd.: Agricultural Inputs Herald – What are the differences between nitro-based and urea-based compound fertilizers? Li Xuchu: The difference between the two is quite significant. First, in terms of form, in the field of fertilizers, there are nitrate nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, and amide nitrogen – that is, fertilizers formed from nitrogen combined with nitrate ions, and those formed from nitrogen combined with ammonium ions. Examples include *ao acid an nitrogen fertilizers, nitro-complex fertilizers that combine *ao acid an with trace elements such as phosphorus and potassium, as well as nitrophosphatic fertilizers ； Nitrogen fertilizers formed from nitrogen and ammonium ions, such as urea, ammonium bicarbonate, and ammonium sulfate; as well as compound fertilizers based on urea in which medium and trace elements like phosphorus and potassium are added using ammonia as the nitrogen source. Secondly, in terms of function, nitrate nitrogen fertilizers are quick-acting fertilizers that can be absorbed directly by the soil and crops without going through a nitrification process, yielding immediate results. After ammonium nitrogen fertilizers are applied to the soil and crops, they must undergo nitrification before they can be absorbed by the crops; therefore, compared to nitrate nitrogen fertilizers, they are a type of slow-release fertilizer. It is particularly important to note that during the nitrification process, ammonia in ammonium nitrogen can volatilize, leading to the loss of nitrogen. The volatile ammonia then combines with NO3 and SO3 ions in the atmosphere to form NH4NO3 and NH4SO4 particles, which become pollutants contributing to PM2.5 and thus causing air pollution. To prevent such situations from occurring, scientists, agricultural technicians, and fertilizer manufacturers have come up with many ways to reduce this level of harm. For example, urease inhibitors can be added to ammonium nitrogen fertilizers, humic acid can be used to modify such fertilizers, and coating agents can be applied to them to achieve corrosion inhibition and prevent the evaporation of ammonia. Although nitrate nitrogen fertilizers have absolutely no ammonia volatilization in terms of structure and function, and provide rapid effects, they are a weakness when it comes to providing nutrients to crops over a long period of time. Therefore, scientists, agricultural technicians, and fertilizer manufacturers have invented nitration inhibitors to overcome these drawbacks, achieving both rapid and slow-release effects. The addition of urea-sensitive inhibitors and nitration inhibitors can increase the utilization efficiency of ammonia nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen fertilizers by about 10%. “Agricultural Inputs Review”: What are the advantages of nitrate nitrogen fertilizers in increasing crop yields and improving quality? Li Xuchu: Both nitrate nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen are excellent nitrogen sources that can increase crop yields, but nitrate nitrogen contributes more to boosting both the yield and quality of crops. Nitrate nitrogen can perform the same functions as ammonium nitrogen in many crops, and its effects are even better on tobacco leaves, vegetables, fruits, and flowers. Only nitrate-based fertilizers can be used for tobacco leaves, as the application of ammonium nitrogen fertilizers will reduce the quality of the tobacco leaves ； Applying nitrate nitrogen fertilizers to fruits enhances their flavor, makes their appearance more vibrant, and improves their shelf life ； Applying nitrate nitrogen fertilizers to vegetables does not cause undercooking. Therefore, nitrate nitrogen fertilizers have an advantage. At present, many manufacturers of nitrogenic fertilizers have, through technological innovation, transformed these fertilizers into functional ones that possess both long-term and rapid-acting properties. They not only meet the needs of cultivation in intensive farming areas but also show excellent performance in field planting; corn, millet, and soybeans grown with nitrogenic fertilizers thrive even better than those grown with slow-release or long-acting fertilizers. According to media reports, when farmers assess yields after harvest, corn grown using nitrogen-based functional fertilizers yields 9% to 10% more per mu than that grown with urea-based fertilizers. Nitro-functional fertilizers also possess drought resistance; in the northwestern part of the Loess Plateau, corn grown with nitro-functional fertilizers yielded higher yields. “Agricultural Inputs Review”: From the perspectives of material consumption, energy use, carbon emissions, and economic benefits, what are the advantages of nitrate fertilizers? Li Xuchu: In these aspects, nitrate nitrogen also has a significant advantage. In terms of nitrogen content, urea contains 47% nitrogen, while *AO acid AN contains 37% nitrogen – a difference of 10 percentage points. However, when it comes to utilization efficiency, urea’s utilization efficiency is ≤38%, whereas that of *AO acid AN is ≥78%; thus, nitrate-based fertilizers have an efficiency 40 percentage points higher ； In terms of fertilizer efficiency, the efficiency of urea is only 60% that of nitrate-based fertilizers. In terms of ammonia consumption during the production process, 570 kilograms of synthetic ammonia are used per ton of urea, while 450 kilograms of synthetic ammonia are required per ton of *AO acid AN; there is a difference of 120 kilograms. In terms of carbon emissions, urea produced from natural gas generates 1.2 tons of CO2 per ton, while ammonium nitrate generates 0.945 tons of CO2 per ton, resulting in a difference of 0.255 tons ； Using coal as a raw material, 2.394 tons of CO2 are produced per ton of urea, while 1.89 tons of CO2 are produced per ton of *ao acid an; there is a difference of 0.5 tons. In terms of electricity consumption, 160 kilowatt-hours are required per ton of urea, resulting in 160 kilograms of carbon emissions; 52 kilowatt-hours are needed per ton of *ao acid an, with 52 kilograms of carbon emissions generated. The difference is thus 108 kilograms. Based on this comparison, nitrate nitrogen fertilizers are superior to ammonium nitrogen in terms of consumption, carbon emissions, production costs, economic benefits, and their ability to promote crop growth. Therefore, developed countries in Europe and America all advocate for the use of nitrate-based fertilizers (the production, use, and promotion of nitrate nitrogen). Therefore, it should become an industry consensus that nitrate fertilizers will be the main direction for the development of compound fertilizers in our country in the future.