明尼苏达大学、RTI国际和卡萨莱公司合作建成的一座示范设施已投入运营，利用风能生产低碳氨肥。[1]该设施位于明尼苏达大学西中部研究和推广中心，目标日产一吨低碳氨。[1]生产工艺采用风能驱动电解槽产生氢气，再通过哈伯-博施法将氢气与氮气合成氨。[1]
该项目的创新之处在于能够根据可再生能源供应的波动灵活调整产能。[1]明尼苏达大学化学工程教授普罗德罗莫斯·达乌蒂迪斯指出："通过允许工厂动态运行，你可以最小化氢存储或电力存储的需求，实现更经济的设计。"[1]生产出的氨可储存在护罐中，或与乙醇生产的二氧化碳副产品结合生产尿素。[1]
绿色氨研究负责人迈克尔·里斯表示："如果你能以适度价格生产出一致的氮肥，农民可以据此制定预算并销售农产品。"[1]该项目计划进一步扩展为由农民合作社拥有的商业绿色氨生产中心网络。[1]
A pioneering facility has begun operations in Morris, Minnesota, demonstrating how renewable energy can be harnessed to manufacture environmentally friendly fertilizers [1]. The demonstration plant, developed through collaboration between the University of Minnesota, RTI International, and Casale, uses wind-generated electricity to power electrolyzers that produce hydrogen, which is then converted into ammonia via the Haber-Bosch process [1]. The facility targets a production capacity of one ton of low-carbon ammonia per day and is located at the University of Minnesota's West Central Research and Outreach Center [1].
A key innovation of the project involves dynamic control systems that adjust ammonia production rates in response to fluctuations in renewable energy supply [1]. According to Prodromos Daoutidis, a chemical engineering professor at the University of Minnesota, "By allowing the factory to operate dynamically, you can minimize the need for hydrogen storage or electricity storage, enabling a more economical design" [1]. The produced ammonia can be stored in holding tanks or combined with carbon dioxide captured as a byproduct of ethanol production to manufacture urea [1]. Michael Reese, the lead researcher on green ammonia at the University of Minnesota, emphasized the economic benefit: "If you can produce consistent nitrogen fertilizer at a reasonable price, farmers can budget accordingly and sell their agricultural products" [1]. The project's framework could eventually expand into a network of agricultural cooperative-owned commercial green ammonia production centers [1].