Ammonia Carbon Intensity Framework

Ammonia (NH3) is a versatile chemical essential for refrigerants, energy carriers and - most critically - agriculture, where 70-90% of global supply supports fertilizers that underpin food production. 

With an annual production of 230 million tonnes, conventional manufacturing is a major source of emissions. The sector relies on the Haber–Bosch process, which typically extracts hydrogen from natural gas through carbon-intensive steam methane reforming. While the industry is a priority for decarbonization through Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) or electrolytic hydrogen powered by renewables, significant barriers remain. Despite net-zero targets, adoption is hindered by high capital costs, infrastructure gaps, and uncertainty regarding how to effectively monetize low-carbon production.

Sylvera’s framework assigns a comparable carbon intensity to ammonia types produced around the globe, shifting from discrete categories to a continuous scale. This is key to moving away from traditional - and inconsistent - categorical labels (e.g., "green, blue, grey"), which often conceal the true environmental and financial opportunities within global production.

Our Approach

Using Sylvera’s proprietary methodology, we calculate carbon intensity (CI) values by combining open-source databases with rigorous data extraction. Our model integrates commodity-specific expertise with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) principles and leading emission factors databases to provide representative modeling pathways based on the best available data.

Understanding the Score

For each plant assessed, the results are composed of a Carbon Intensity value representing the expected tonne of CO2e for 1 tonne of ammonia produced, and an attached Confidence Score, ranging from Very High to Very Low. This score reflects the completeness and relevance of the available facility data, as well as the representativeness of the emission factors used to generate the final assessment.