14 THE CAAR COMMUNICATOR However, the solution to mining nitrate is lightning, or at least a lab-created version of it. Capturing Lightning in a Bottle The world record for one person being struck by lightning at separate times is seven by Roy Sullivan, a US parks ranger who achieved the feat during his work hours between 1942 and 1977. All the strikes took place at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. The tiny hamlet of Harrow, Ontario, is considered the most lightning-affected place in Canada, with 35.9 days a year of lightning strikes based on a 10year average. Of course, this data was from 2013, so we could have a crackling new winner. Although we have talked about lightning as helping form the next fertilizer resource, we should confirm that it is simulated lightning. And it’s from the UK. Debeye Ltd.—headquartered in Wiltshire, England, UK—has developed a modular and containerized system that uses air, water, and electricity to produce nitrate fertilizer. Dr. Burak Karadag, the Chief Technical Officer of Debye, developed the technology. And if creating such a technology sounds like rocket science, the truth is out there. Once upon a time, Karaday was a space engineer working on satellite propulsion. After becoming interested in the properties of lightning, he wanted to see if he could combine space and lightning and do something with both on Earth, tackling one of the planet’s bigger challenges. He was aware that a thunderstorm’s lightning can produce enough electrical energy to separate the nitrogen atoms in the air. Once the atoms are separated, they fall to the ground with rainwater. Combined with minerals in the soil, the fallen atoms formed into nitrates, a type of fertilizer. For him, that was global food security. He acknowledged that fertilizer played a key role but that global politics can cause shortages. Also, there is the negative issue of GHG emissions. The Debye proposition was that lightning hits water with enough energy to break it apart to create nitrogen dioxide, which is water-soluble and easily absorbed by plants. Using locally, renewably powered direct nitrogen capture technology could make this type of fertilizer a near-zero-emission process. Being able to produce it locally would also prevent global politics from limiting a country’s ability to obtain needed fertilizer resources. Currently (no pun intended), Debye is working with the York, England, UK-headquartered Agri-Tech Centres on an 18-month trial basis to examine the feasibility of the simulated lightning fertilizer product concerning lettuce crops. While the hope is that the applied lightning fertilizer will provide a similar yield to the contemporary fertilizers used by farmers, Debeye plans to provide a greener resource. Next, the company seeks to develop a one-kilowatt proof-of-concept prototype to quantify and compare crop yields and post-harvest properties for standard nitrogen fertilizer and fertilizer produced. If commercial viability is determined, the next step would be undertaking small-scale pilot projects in a farm setting within three years, subject to funding. FERTILIZER TECHNOLOGIES Although the technology is new, lab-formed lightning may be the answer to creating affordable nitrate fertilizers for farmers. BalazsKovacs/iStock/Getty Images Plus photo
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