Green urea can boost decarbonisation while reducing India’s import dependency

Urea is among the most consumed chemicals in India—as an indispensable fertiliser in agriculture, and, thereafter, as an important raw material for producing plastics, and nutrient feed for cattle. In the conventional process of urea production, natural gas is the primary source of hydrogen and carbon dioxide that are used as raw materials. According to Energy Statistics India, fertiliser production accounts for 32% of India’s total annual natural gas consumption. India’s dependence on imported natural gas is considerable—currently almost 50%—whichmakes it vulnerable to the volatility of
global markets.

Each kilogram of urea production requires 0.82 kilogram of carbon dioxide, 0.1 kilogram of hydrogen, and 0.47 kilogram of nitrogen. Both nitrogen and hydrogen are converted into ammonia before producing urea. Our proposed green urea production process utilises point-source CO2 emissions (which form 60% of total country emissions)—particularly from the hard-to-abate sectors like iron and steel, cement, coal-based power, etc.—and employs renewable energy to obtain other raw materials for producing urea. Under this production approach, carbon dioxide is obtained from point-source emissions from industries, hydrogen is produced from water through electrolysis using renewable energy, and nitrogen is captured from air. Thus, this process can boost decarbonisation, while also promoting a circular economy.
.