Researchers led by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona built a pilot system that produces urea fertilizer right in the field. An electrochemical reactor turns carbon dioxide and nitrates into urea, powered by solar panels and biobatteries, after three years of work on the CONFETI project.
Fertilizer usually travels long distances and relies on fossil fuels, so farmers face supply and cost risks. Making urea on-site from CO2, nitrates, and renewable power could cut transport, lower emissions, and give farms more control over when and how much fertilizer they apply.
✦ One day, farms may grow part of their own fertilizer using sunlight.