A new Haber–Bosch moment: Europe must rethink its fertiliser production

By&nbspMagnolia Tovar, Head of the 'Technologies and Impact' part astatine the deliberation vessel ‘Future Cleantech Architects’, and a trained chemic engineer

Published on 04/05/2026 - 11:13 GMT+2

Half of the world's colonisation is live acknowledgment to synthetic fertilisers. At the bosom of modern agriculture lies ammonia. It is the cardinal constituent utilized to nutrient nitrogen fertilizers which prolong harvest yields crossed the globe.

Developed successful the aboriginal 20th period by German scientists, Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch, the concern synthesis of ammonia transformed nutrient systems and supported unprecedented colonisation maturation worldwide. It besides helped crook Europe into a planetary person successful technological and concern innovation.

Today, however, the aforesaid process that erstwhile gave Europe an borderline is present exposing it to increasing economic, geopolitical, and biology risks.

The modern nutrient strategy remains babelike connected fossil fuels

Ammonia accumulation relies heavy connected earthy gas, chiefly arsenic feedstock to nutrient hydrogen. As a result, the modern nutrient strategy remains babelike connected fossil fuels. When state prices rise, fertiliser accumulation becomes importantly much expensive, undermining the competitiveness of European manufacture and expanding costs crossed the cultivation worth chain.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, this vulnerability has go intolerable to ignore. In 2022, European state prices surged much than tenfold, rising from historically debased levels to grounds highs. Fertiliser plants crossed the continent, including concern leaders similar BASF, were severely affected by this shock. At the highest of the crisis, arsenic overmuch arsenic 70 % of Europe's ammonia accumulation capableness was offline.

The struggle successful the Middle East has erstwhile again highlighted the risks of relying connected state imports and fossil-delivered exports to prolong our nutrient system: astir one-third of planetary fertilizer exports walk done the Strait of Hormuz, a captious gateway that proves highly susceptible to disruption.

Europe's agriculture nether pressure

Europe's rapidly eroding manufacturing basal present carries strategical consequences. It increases reliance connected fertiliser imports from countries similar Algeria, China, Egypt, Russia, and the United States.

This creates a paradox: portion European policymakers question to trim reliance connected imported fossil fuels for important sectors similar buildings oregon roadworthy transport, the continent risks becoming progressively babelike connected imported nutrients (produced elsewhere utilizing the aforesaid fossil fuels).

Europe has been present before. Prior to the invention of the Haber-Bosch process, European agriculture relied heavy connected nitrate imports from Chile, creating proviso vulnerabilities that shaped geopolitical strategy. Today, the vulnerability is returning – this clip it is driven by dependence connected fossil fuels imports. Maintaining Europe's concern enactment truthful requires a caller question of innovation.

There is besides a clime imperative. Global ammonia accumulation emits astir 450 cardinal tonnes of CO₂ each twelvemonth – comparable to doubly Spain's yearly emissions. Cutting these emissions matters not lone for clime targets, but besides for the semipermanent resilience of nutrient production.

Fertilisers produced utilizing cleanable electricity

Europe has begun exploring low-carbon ammonia accumulation utilizing hydrogen generated from renewable electricity. Yet this pathway requires large caller infrastructure for hydrogen production, transport and storage. That is costly and risks being excessively slow.

More promising technologies could alteration the equation entirely. Emerging processes purpose to nutrient nitrogen-based fertilisers utilizing nitrogen from air, water, and electricity. This tin destruct reliance connected fossil state and perchance bypass hydrogen altogether. The method details differ, but the extremity is the same: to usage cleanable energy to nutrient fertilizers successful a mode that is much reliable, little polluting, and yet cheaper.

If these technologies win astatine scale, they could let fertiliser accumulation successful much locations, particularly successful regions extracurricular Europe wherever the renewable vigor imaginable is adjacent higher. Smaller and much flexible plants could complement existing ample facilities, making proviso chains much resilient and creating caller concern opportunities.

New fertiliser tech could support jobs successful concern regions

This besides matters for jobs. Europe's chemic manufacture supports hundreds of thousands of skilled workers, galore of them successful concern regions that consciousness threatened by the vigor transition. A caller procreation of fertiliser technologies could uplift and modernise this concern basal alternatively than simply spot this manufacture migrating abroad.

As a archetypal step, policymakers should enactment aviator plants and objection projects truthful that emerging technologies tin determination from the laboratory to commercialized scale. Early deployment volition not beryllium cheap. But it is wide present much than ever that dependence connected state – with its recurring terms shocks – is nary longer viable. As renewable energy expands and caller accumulation methods mature, costs are apt to fall. Europe already has beardown capabilities successful electrochemistry, engineering and concern manufacturing. It is clip to usage them.

With fertilisers, Europe's vigor and food sovereignty are intimately intertwined. By investing successful innovation successful fertiliser production, Europe tin trim vulnerability to volatile state markets, fortify its concern base, and physique a much resilient nutrient system. It tin besides assistance thrust the planetary modulation to cleaner concern processes.

Europe's adjacent Haber-Bosch infinitesimal is wrong reach.

Magnolia Tovar, Head of the 'Technologies and Impact' part astatine 'Future Cleantech Architects', is simply a chemic technologist with implicit 25 years acquisition successful concern decarbonisation and the vigor modulation crossed much than 20 countries.