Frontieras North America Combines Volatile Byproducts of Solid Carbon Fractionation Process to Create Environmentally-Friendly, High-Value Ammonium Sulfate Fertilizer
September 25th, 2024
Written by Joe Witherspoon, P.E., CTO and co-founder of Frontieras North America (LinkedIn)
Frontieras North America has expanded on its mission to deliver abundant, available and affordable energy to now positively impact global food production. In its latest discovery, Frontieras builds upon its patented Solid Carbon Fractionation™ (SCF) process to transform would-be hazardous waste products, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, to create sulfuric acid, a vital chemical commodity, and ammonium sulfate fertilizer, a high-value commodity within the global agriculture market.
Frontieras’ technology extracts maximum value from coal and other hydrocarbons. Unique in the market for its innovation, Frontieras produces no waste and concentrates on fossil fuels which currently account for more than 80% of the world’s energy. Frontieras’ FASForm™ plant deploys a continuous-feed refining process for coal and other solids that uses a continuous thermal process to reform, refine and liberate the constituents of solid hydrocarbon materials containing volatile compounds. By deconstructing the coal to its core elements, Frontieras has the key components to produce net new products, including ammonium sulfate fertilizer. Frontieras’ builds upon the nitrogen components contained within coal to produce ammonia. This would-be waste ammonia stream is considered a contaminated byproduct, as it contains sulfurous compounds. Frontieras’ introduction of the sulfuric acid with the contaminated ammonia converts the isolated elements into ammonium sulfate fertilizer.
In completing this process, Frontieras transforms would-be hazardous waste byproducts into safe, usable and high-value commodities. Specifically, Frontieras’ FASForm technology process:
Captures and repurposes energy elements contained within a solid hydrocarbon, so no waste is emitted into the air, water, and soil.
Repurposes the captured volatiles to lower the carbon footprint and reduce CO2 emissions.
Frontieras’ entrance into the global sulfuric acid and ammonium sulfate fertilizer markets is timely as both markets are being propelled forward by growing demand within agriculture and chemical industries. Frontieras’ ability to isolate and repurpose high value commodity by-products, individually or combined, to produce ammonium sulfate fertilizer, provides a tremendous competitive advantage from cost, transportation and sourcing capabilities and significantly adds to Frontieras’ valuation. According to Market.us, the global sulfuric acid market is expected to reach USD 29.4 billion by 2032 and it is progressing at a CAGR of of 8.3% within a forecast period from 2023 to 2032. Precedence Research forecasts that the global fertilizer market size, valued at USD 212.8 billion in 2023 it is expected to hit USD 285.01 billion by 2032 with a registered compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.30%
Sulfuric acid is a fundamental chemical, and a main reactant used in the production of ammonium sulfate fertilizer. Frontieras will produce sulfuric acid from the sulfurous compounds derived from the FASform process. Preferred for industrial applications due to its ease of handling and transportation, sulfuric acid is critical to production of batteries, detergents, dyes, and even pharmaceuticals. The sulfuric acid plays a crucial role in metal processing, removing impurities from steel and other metals, as well as being invaluable in refining petroleum.
Combining the two waste byproducts through a process that is complimentary to Frontieras’ patented Solid Carbon Fractionation allows Frontieras to produce ammonium sulfate fertilizer that addresses a growing global food production deficit. From a farmer’s perspective, the value of ammonium sulfate is considerable, including soil health and profitability attributed to superior crop yields. The dual nutrient composition of nitrogen and sulfur is particularly beneficial to crops that require both elements for optimal performance, such as rice, cotton, and corn. Additionally, ammonium sulfate helps to improve soil structure and fertility, creating a more conducive environment for plant root growth and nutrient uptake.
Beyond its direct nutritional benefits, ammonium sulfate also indirectly contributes to increased crop profitability. By maximizing yields and producing higher-quality crops, farmers command better prices in the marketplace. Moreover, the long-term use of ammonium sulfate can lead to improved soil health, reducing the need for excessive chemical inputs and promoting sustainable agricultural practices.
Today’s announcement represents a larger trend of how Frontieras is addressing the needs of food demand with both its portfolio of energy solutions and now fertilizer offering. Farmers across the globe recognize the need to increase crop yield against a shrinking amount of arable land. Working within a smaller footprint, the role of fertilizer consumption will increase and in turn rise the demand for fertilizer and fuel market revenue growth.
Frontieras considers food, energy, clean water and clean air as the four pillars that make up life and as a result the “necessity” markets. Frontieras’ deconstruction of coal is literally allowing that which was old to be new again. Frontieras’ creation of ammonium sulfate fertilizer from the by-products of deconstructed coal represents an exponential closed-loop process. For the agricultural markets, Frontieras’ fertilizer supplies both nitrogen and sulfur, two essential nutrients for plant growth. Frontieras’ ability to break down coal and extract the necessary elements to create a valuable solution that aids in the growth of plants demonstrates a continual cycle.
Frontieras will continue to share our insights on all things energy related and continue to focus on the delivery of abundant, available and affordable energy with the construction of the first FASForm plant. These perspectives on the global energy market are my own. If you are interested in learning more about Frontieras, its FASForm technology, or the Frontieras management team, please visit www.frontieras.com. If you’re interested in investing in Frontieras’ North America’s breakthrough FASForm technology, you can do so for a limited time at invest.frontieras.com.