New N C State project aims to make fertilizer production greener - Axios RaleighLog InLog InAxios Raleigh is an Axios company.

New N C State project aims to make fertilizer production greener

A fertilizing manufacturing plant in the U.K. Photo: Anthony Devlin/Bloomberg via Getty Images N.C. State University is launching a new after landing a $6.5 million grant this month from the . Why it matters: Creating fertilizers — which are critical for making soil productive enough to feed the world's growing population — is incredibly energy intensive. , a key component of fertilizers, requires temperatures of around , an energy suck that contributes between 1% and 2% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions, . The big picture: N.C. State researchers will across the world trying to create a greener future for the . The grant pairs N.C. State, the state's premier agriculture school, with one of the world's largest grant makers for breakthrough technologies. "We would absolutely not have the food supply that we have without chemically created fertilizer," , a professor and researcher at N.C. State's Wilson College of Textiles, whose department is leading the initiative, told Axios. "But ... it's time to think: Can we do this in a different way?" The intrigue: Instead of harnessing traditional green energy sources like wind and solar to make ammonia production cleaner, N.C. State is turning to its textiles department to find an altogether new approach. What's happening: The Novo Nordisk Foundation has pledged money for the first five years of the new N.C. State initiative. The project will focus on how to use the naturally occurring nitrogenase enzyme, a protein that can (making the process less energy intensive), on a large scale. Yes, but: Nitrogenase, while abundant in nature, is difficult to harness. That's where N.C. State's textile school will come into play, designing filters soaked with the enzyme that can capture nitrogen and trigger the reaction that produces ammonia. The bottom line: N.C. State is tackling one of the dirtiest parts of the agriculture world. If it is successful, it could make the production of fertilizer more sustainable. Get more local stories in your inbox with .Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.

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