University of Minnesota Demonstrates Low-Carbon Ammonia Production at Morris Facility
A collaborative project between the University of Minnesota, RTI International, and Casale has commenced operations in Morris, utilising dynamic control systems to manage fluctuating renewable energy without costly hydrogen storage.
A pioneering low-carbon ammonia production facility has commenced operations in Morris, Minnesota, marking a significant development in agricultural decarbonisation. The plant, a collaboration between the University of Minnesota, RTI International, and Casale, targets a production rate of one ton per day of low-carbon ammonia for local fertiliser use. Powered by local wind turbines, the demonstrator represents an upscale of a successful pilot plant established in 2013 at the University of Minnesota’s West Central Research and Outreach Centre.
The facility utilises wind-generated electricity to power on-site electrolyzers, which split water into hydrogen. This hydrogen is then combined with atmospheric nitrogen via a Haber-Bosch process to create synthetic ammonia. To manage the inherent volatility of renewable energy supply, the plant employs new modelling and control systems that allow the rate of ammonia production to be adjusted dynamically. This approach addresses a historical barrier to agricultural decarbonisation: the traditional requirement for continuous, high-volume power typically supplied by fossil-fuel grids.
By operating dynamically rather than at a steady state, the plant minimises the need for costly hydrogen storage, which is usually required to absorb fluctuations in wind availability. This technical capability allows for a tighter, more economical design compared to conventional chemical plants that assume a constant feedstock supply. The ammonia produced can be stored in nurse tanks or coupled with carbon dioxide by-products from ethanol production to create urea, the most common fertiliser used in Minnesota.
The initiative aims to address high fertiliser prices and supply chain instability while creating revenue streams within the state. Currently, there are no other ammonia or nitrogen fertiliser production facilities in Minnesota besides this small system. The project envisions a future where farmer cooperatives own a network of commercial, renewable ammonia generation hubs, potentially supported by state loans and credits.
Michael Reese, Green Ammonia Research Lead at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, noted that producing moderately priced nitrogen fertilizer consistently allows farmers to budget effectively and market crops with certainty. Professor Prodromos Daoutidis, also from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, emphasised that the economic development of the state is a core objective, with a model of cooperatives coming together to develop these plants.
