Low-Carbon Ammonia Technology: Blue, Green, and Beyond

The document outlines four pathways for low-carbon ammonia production: blue ammonia using carbon capture and storage (CCS), green ammonia via electrolysis, and novel methods including electrochemical and plasma-catalysis ammonia. It highlights that conventional ammonia production accounts for over 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions due to its reliance on steam-methane reforming (SMR) for hydrogen.

• Conventional ammonia production is carbon-intensive because it relies on steam-methane reforming (SMR) to source hydrogen from natural gas, a process that contributes more than 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• Blue ammonia reduces emissions by integrating carbon capture and storage (CCS) with the conventional SMR or autothermal reforming (ATR) processes. This technology is commercially demonstrated, with more than 20 facilities currently under development.
• Green ammonia uses renewable electricity to electrolyze water for hydrogen production, offering a near-zero emission alternative that decouples production from natural gas supply chains. One fully renewable electrolysis-based facility has been deployed in the United States.
• Two emerging alternatives to the Haber-Bosch process are electrochemical ammonia and plasma-catalysis ammonia. Electrochemical ammonia is currently in the lab-scale prototyping phase, while plasma-catalysis is moving from lab-scale to pilot-scale and is considered a potential competitor for on-farm fertilizer production.

APA

RMI (2025). Low-Carbon Ammonia Technology: Blue, Green, and Beyond. https://rmi.org/resources/low-carbon-ammonia-technology-blue-green-and-beyond/

Chicago

RMI. Low-Carbon Ammonia Technology: Blue, Green, and Beyond. 2025. https://rmi.org/resources/low-carbon-ammonia-technology-blue-green-and-beyond/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Low-Carbon Ammonia Technology: Blue, Green, and Beyond |date=30 January 2025 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/low-carbon-ammonia-technology-blue-green-and-beyond/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2025lowcarbon, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Low-Carbon Ammonia Technology: Blue, Green, and Beyond}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/low-carbon-ammonia-technology-blue-green-and-beyond/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }