Richard Ha writes:
Nitrogen is the basis of protein production. But here in Hawai‘i, farmers have no control over nitrogen fertilizer costs.
What if Hawai‘i farmers had stable and affordable nitrogen costs, and therefore our products had a competitive advantage over imported foods? Then farmers would make money, and farmers would farm.
There is a lot going on in the area of ammonia production. Iowa State University has committed to doing research in this area.
Hawaii can build on the knowledge gained as we find a way to make ammonia fertilizer from electricity that is now being “curtailed” (thrown away).
If we can get to urea, it is a short step to blending so that it is available for most uses.
From Wikipedia:
Urea or carbamide is an organic compound with the chemical formula CO(NH2)2.
The molecule has two —NH2 groups joined by a carbonyl (C=O) functional group.
Urea serves an important role in
the metabolism of
nitrogen-containing compounds by animals and is the main nitrogen-containing
substance in the urine
of mammals. It is a
colorless, odorless solid, highly soluble in water and practically non-toxic (LD50 is 15 g/kg
for rat). Dissolved in water, it is neither acidic nor alkaline. The body uses it
in many processes, the most notable one being nitrogen excretion. Urea is
widely used in fertilizers
as a convenient source of nitrogen. Urea is also an important raw material for the chemical industry.
Read more in the
Download Yara Fertilizer Industry Handbook, 2012.
Not no can. CAN!!