A Hidden Threat: The Environmental Impact of Nitrogen Fertiliser

Beneath the surface of modern farming lies a quietly escalating threat. One that doesn’t make headlines like coal-fired power or internal combustion engines, but may be just as significant: nitrogen fertiliser.

Essential for feeding the world, nitrogen fertilisers like urea are responsible for substantial, long-lived environmental damage when used inefficiently, a problem that continues to grow alongside global food demand.

Let’s break down how this happens and what we can do about it.

The Greenhouse Gas You’ve Never Heard Of

You’ve heard of carbon dioxide and methane. But nitrous oxide (N₂O), released from soil after fertiliser application, is the third most important greenhouse gas, and the most potent long-term.

• 300x more powerful than CO₂ at trapping heat
• Lives 100+ years in the atmosphere
• 1.37 tonnes CO₂-e emitted for every tonne of urea applied

Globally, agriculture is the dominant source of nitrous oxide emissions. In Australia, N₂O accounts for a major share of the agriculture sector’s climate footprint.

Leaching and Runoff: Polluting Waterways

Up to 70% of applied nitrogen is lost from soil. Much of that ends up as:

• Nitrate leaching, contaminating groundwater,
• Ammonia volatilisation, impacting air quality,
• Nutrient runoff, causing algae blooms in rivers and oceans.

According to the U.S. EPA, excess nitrogen causes:

• Dead zones—where aquatic life suffocates from lack of oxygen
• Harmful algal blooms, producing toxins that impact human health and biodiversity

Why Does This Happen?

Most conventional fertilisers like urea are:

• Water soluble, meaning they dissolve and disperse rapidly
• Fast acting, releasing nitrogen before crops can absorb it
• Highly reactive, transforming into gaseous or leachable forms in the soil

In short, they are designed for immediate results, not efficiency or environmental stewardship.

The Cost of Inefficiency

For every dollar spent on nitrogen fertiliser, farmers lose up to 70 cents to the environment.

That’s:

• Lost productivity
• Increased input costs
• Heightened environmental scrutiny

In volatile global markets, especially post-2022, this cost has become even harder to absorb.

With 90% of Australia’s urea imported, disruptions to international supply chains expose farmers to price shocks and logistical delays.

A Better Path: Smarter Nitrogen, Smarter Soils

To reduce emissions, cut waste, and protect our waterways, we need fertilisers that:

• Release nitrogen slowly, in sync with plant uptake
• Retain nutrients in the soil, rather than letting them wash away
• Support soil structure and carbon, enhancing long-term productivity

That’s the approach behind COLDry Fertiliser, a next-generation solution developed by Zero Quest using ECT’s patented low-temperature COLDry drying process.

How It Works

COLDry Fertiliser blends urea with treated lignite, creating a slow-release granule that:

• Binds nitrogen to a carbon-rich carrier
• Resists leaching and volatilisation
• Boosts soil organic carbon and microbial activity.

Independent trials show:

• −59% nitrogen leaching
• −64% nitrogen oxide emissions
• +23% crop yield
• +21% nitrogen uptake by plants

This is not theoretical. It’s proven, scalable, and is currently being tested in Australian fields.

Practical. Affordable. Compatible.

Perhaps the most important part: farmers don’t have to change their practices.

COLDry Fertiliser:

• Spreads using conventional equipment
• Costs less than urea
• Works on pasture, wheat, cotton, and more

It’s an example of how innovation doesn’t have to mean complexity, just better results for farmers, the environment, and future generations.

A Small Change with Big Impact

If Australia replaced even a portion of its conventional urea with smarter, lignite-based fertiliser:

• We could slash agricultural emissions,
• Restore soil health, and
• Create domestic fertiliser supply chains that are less vulnerable to global risk.

We don’t need to overhaul the system. We just need to make fertiliser work harder, and waste less.

Want to Know More?

The Zero Quest joint venture is conducting field trials. To learn more or express interest, please email us at [email protected].

References

• World Bank CBAM Report: https://www.wb6cif.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/CBAM.pdf
• EPA Nutrient Pollution: https://www.epa.gov/nutrientpollution/effects-dead-zones-and-harmful-algal-blooms
• IPCC AR6 – Nitrous oxide potency