BASF and Yunnan Yuntianhua Co., Ltd., a leading Chinese fertilizer producer, have successfully verified and registered significant greenhouse gas emissions reductions achieved through the use of stabilized urea fertilizer containing BASF’s urease inhibitor, Limus®. The pilot project, launched in 2023 in China, aimed to demonstrate the environmental benefits of Limus-treated fertilizer. According to independently verified results, the use of this advanced fertilizer led to an estimated reduction of 46,584 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions compared to conventional, untreated urea fertilizer.

The emissions reduction estimate is based on sales data from Yuntianhua’s Limus-stabilized urea fertilizer during the project period. This outcome aligns with China’s climate-smart agriculture goals and underscores the scalability and potential global impact of the project. The stabilization of urea reduces nitrogen loss into the atmosphere—a major contributor to air pollution and biodiversity loss. Roughly 15% of nitrogen in untreated urea fertilizer is typically lost as ammonia. Furthermore, nitrogen can convert to nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas, reducing both the effectiveness of fertilizer and crop yield.

Using Limus-treated fertilizer improves nitrogen availability for crops by minimizing losses, thereby supporting higher yields and greater efficiency. As part of its outreach, Yuntianhua is actively demonstrating the benefits of stabilized urea to farmers, distributors and retailers through field trials and training programs.

The project was audited and verified under the international ISO 14064 standard and is now registered in the GHG CleanProjects® Registry, a publicly accessible database that tracks emissions reduction initiatives based on ISO methodologies. BASF partnered with First Climate, a global provider of carbon management solutions, to support the pilot project’s design and implementation in China.

“This project not only demonstrates that climate-smart agricultural practices can be successfully implemented, but also shows that they are vital in addressing the climate crisis,” said Markus Schmid, business lead for Nitrogen Management at BASF. “With a second monitoring cycle underway, we are laying the foundation to expand these efforts across the agricultural value chain.”

Mr. Chen Jin, general manager of Yuntianhua Agricultural Material Chain Co., Ltd., emphasized the benefits of Limus, calling it a “triple win solution” for the fertilizer industry, farmers and society. “It reduces nitrogen loss, improves crop yield and supports sustainable farming.”

Building on the success of the pilot, BASF and Yuntianhua have begun a second emissions monitoring cycle for 2024. BASF is also exploring partnerships with other fertilizer producers globally to expand the use of stabilized nitrogen fertilizer and drive emissions reductions across the agriculture sector.