This project is being implemented by Mukono ZARDI at its satellite station of Kamenyamiggo, Lwengo District. The project focuses on investigating the amount of emissions that can be saved if on-site Plasma assisted Nitrogen (N2) fixation mini fertilizer plants are adopted in East Africa.

Globally, almost all nitrogen is fixed on an enormous scale with the “Haber-Bosch ammonia synthesis process”. This process sustains 40% of the global population and is considered as the most important discovery of the 20^th century. The process produces 130 million tons of Ammonia (NH3) per year but is one of the leading environment polluters. Production of fertilizers through this process consumes approximately 1-2% of the world’s total energy, and emits 300 million tons of CO2 annually. An alarming factor to global warming and yet new opportunities in the renewable energy production/cost and innovative process design concepts have been established recently.

These bear promise and lead to new paradigms of production such as modern plasma technology for Nitrogen fixation. Plasma assisted Nitrogen fixation technology provides a simple and energy efficient process for the preparation of nitrogen compounds that can be absorbed by plants. The project therefore seeks to demonstrate the production of fertilizers in Sub-Saharan Africa using Plasma assisted nitrogen fixation using air as a raw material. Air being free, implies that there is potential to produce low cost fertilizers while at the same time reduce emission of carbon dioxide gas.

Partner institutions include NAFORRI, Eindhoven University of Technology, TU/e), Nelson Mandela University.