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The hidden hand

The fertilizer plant that feeds Britain

When ammonia production stopped, the UK's meat and beer supply nearly collapsed—because fertilizer makers are the hidden source of industrial CO2.

The number

0.7tonnes of CO2 per tonne of ammonia produced

Ammonia synthesis generates CO2 as waste, which fertilizer companies capture and sell to food processors for carbonation and preservation. When CF Fertilisers shut its Billingham plant in 2021 due to gas prices, the UK government was forced to intervene and subsidize operations—not to save fertilizer, but to prevent meat slaughter and beer production from grinding to a halt.

Source: CF Industries Holdings, Inc. Commences Restart of Ammonia Plant at Billingham, UK, Complex · CF Industries · Sep 21, 2021

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More on Supply input · Natural Gas (Ammonia/Fertilizer Feedstock Grade)

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