SBIR Phase I: Enabling On-site Nitrate Fertilizer Production: An Absorption Unit to Efficiently and Selectively Capture Nitrates

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will transform the production, distribution, and application of nitrogen fertilizer, with a new process that is far more sustainable and will save farmers money. This project enables on-farm production of nitrogen fertilizers by progressing the scientific understanding, and subsequent increase in the operational efficiency, of a cutting-edge fertilizer production system. Increased system efficiency will decrease the cost of these systems, which provide instant access to pH-controlled fertilizer for farms. Due to the type and availability of nitrogen provided, there is an opportunity to greatly reduce emissions, reduce nitrogen runoff, and generally transform farming toward a more sustainable future. If successful, this project can also positively impact nitric acid production systems for other uses and add to US leadership in the fight against global hunger by increasing crop yields in developing countries where fertilizer is scarce but vital to their populations. This proposal encompasses the research and development of an absorption unit to improve the systemic efficiency of plasma-derived nitrate production. This Phase I project will overcome key technical hurdles with respect to an innovative nitrogen fertilizer production system, designed for on-farm use. Particularly, the product absorption structure requires dedicated R&D to improve both gas product absorption efficiency and product selectivity. Specifically, a research test platform will be built for rapidly testing methods to oxidize a transitional product and capture the final product, nitrate fertilizer compounds. The goal of these strategies is to improve the overall efficiency of the system by 40% and enable cost competitive, distributed nitrogen fertilization. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.