5.3.2. Product substitution

Biology dictates that fertilizers are only to be substituted by fertilizers. Potential substitutions for urea as synthetic nitrogen carrier may be natural fertilizers as biomass but the supply is very limited and production is by far not possible in quantities as for synthetic fertilizers (in fact biomass production for green energy is boosted by the use of synthetic fertilizer).

A substitute to prilled or granulated urea may be urea in form of a solution with water and ammonia nitrate (UAN). Possibilities to substitute urea fertilizer with other fertilizer are subject to research¹⁰⁸. Substitution depend on the conditions of the soil where the fertilizer is to be applied to and the type of crop to be planted.

¹⁰⁸ E.g. North Carolina State University, 2010, Soil Facts Alternative Synthetic Nitrogen Fertilizer Products for Row Crop Production