Nitrogenous fertilizers are derived from ammonia, which is produced by fixing atmospheric nitrogen. Phosphate and potassium fertilizers are derived from mined ore. Most of the sulphur used in fertilizers is recovered from oil refining and gas processing.

The entire fertilizer industry uses less than 2% of the world energy consumption. Furthermore, thanks to photosynthesis, the incremental production of energy by crops due to the use of mineral fertilizers is many times the quantity used to produce and apply the fertilizer.

Modern technology permits pollutants resulting from the manufacture of mineral fertilizers to be reduced to very low levels. The emission of carbon dioxide (CO₂) is unavoidable during the production of ammonia but, often, the CO₂ is used to manufacture downstream products such as urea.

In connection with the quick rise of world food requirements, the use of fertilizers will necessarily increase during the coming years. The challenge is to ensure that this level of fertilizer use will be sustainable and environmentally neutral.

2^nd edition, October 2002