Ammonia is a critical input for agricultural fertilizers, but NH3 production is plagued by volatile prices, difficult global logistics and high CO2 emissions. A new NH3-production system from the startup TalusAg (Austin, Texas; www.talusag.com) addresses these challenges with a modular design that focuses on lowering costs and increasing reliability of supply. The TalusAg ammonia-production system uses only water, air and renewable power as inputs and can produce NH3 at rates of 20 ton/d for each modular unit.
Source: TalusAG
“Low-cost price stability is critical when it comes to ammonia-based fertilizer for use in farming,” says Hiro Iwanaga, founder and CEO of TalusAg. “For areas where the logistics costs for ammonia fertilizer are high, and the supply-chain risks are significant, producing ammonia locally from just air, water and power with no CO2 emissions is especially appealing,” Iwanaga says. Many of these areas are in developing countries, where fertilizer costs can be double those in the developed world.
The TalusAg system consists of a water-electrolysis system for generating hydrogen, and a modified Haber-Bosch process loop that is optimized for low power consumption and intermittent power supply. The containerized design is small enough that it can be installed onsite at large commercial farming operations to alleviate supply-chain disruption and price volatility issues for farmers. The system also features specialized compressors that reduce power consumption and a proprietary control system that enables autonomous operation.
To date, TalusAg has deployed one-unit (20 ton/d) systems in Kenya, Spain and Boone, Iowa, where it is taking advantage of the 45V hydrogen-production tax credit in the U.S., and has plans to commission a larger (40 ton/d) system in Eagle Grove, Iowa in Q2 of 2026.