The U.S. Department of Energy has committed $36 million to reduce planet-warming-producing fertilizers used on farms.
As Reuters reported, the DOE's new funding will go toward technologies that lower pollution by decreasing synthetic nitrogen fertilizer on corn and sorghum. These crops are used to produce ethanol, which holds promise for reducing America's reliance on gasoline-powered cars and making electric vehicles more accessible and affordable.
According to an Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy press release, the new $36 million commitment will help develop technologies to reduce nitrous oxide pollution by 50%.
The agency wrote, "Lowering the application of synthetic N fertilizer would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and significantly lower farmers' operating costs while maintaining crop yields."
The program's goals include promoting plant and microbial bio-design strategies that lower traditional fertilizer usage while reducing imports of foreign fertilizer. It also aims to improve efficiency, reduce carbon intensity for ethanol, and lower carbon dioxide pollution generated from fertilizer production and application.
This DOE commitment is important because farming practices create about 11.2% of pollution in the U.S. Applying nitrogen fertilizer to crops makes up about half of that.
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The ethanol industry can take advantage of state and federal subsidy programs to reduce pollution by moving away from polluting nitrogen fertilizers and toward clean fuel options. Government incentives in the form of tax breaks and credits are making it easier and more affordable than ever for individuals and companies to make sustainability upgrades.
Meanwhile, technologies are emerging to make ethanol production better for the environment, such as India's Numaligarh Refinery's plans to produce renewable ethanol from bamboo.
Evelyn N. Wang, director of the DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy program, said, "President Biden understands we need innovations across the board to reach our net zero goals. Given the importance of agriculture to the energy sector and our economy, technologies that reduce fertilizer-related energy emissions associated with ethanol, while shrinking operational costs and maintaining crop yields for the American farmer, are essential."
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