Canada Nickel and NetCarb advance sustainable fertilizers

This collaboration leverages NetCarb's advanced carbon sequestration process which can utilise tailings from the Crawford Nickel project and the Company's other projects across the Timmins Nickel District to capture and store carbon dioxide while producing valuable by-products.

Dr Luke Keeney, Managing Director and CEO of NetCarb, said: "NetCarb's enhanced carbon sequestration technology could significantly extend the value of Canada Nickel's tailings, positioning the Timmins Nickel District as a leading decarbonisation hub in Eastern Canada and unlocking new industries and economic opportunities for the region."

Through lab, pilot and engineering activities, Canada Nickel and NetCarb will pursue the demonstration of the process through a rapid development programme that focusses on three highly prospective by-product focus areas in addition to utilising the enhanced carbon sequestration capacity.

Blue-green Hydrogen and hydrogen-based products (Ammonia, Urea, Ammonium Nitrate)

The NetCarb process offers the potential to produce a carbon neutral hydrogen product using a steam methane reforming (SMR) process that sequesters the carbon dioxide generated in the tailings. This approach, which combines attributes of both blue and green hydrogen, represents a new category of low-carbon hydrogen production. Hydrogen is a valuable product on its own, however it is also a key ingredient for the production of other materials such as urea or ammonia and valuable products for Ontario:

• Hydrogen has potential as a zero emission fuel that could be supplied to the nearby natural gas pipeline to lower the carbon footprint of the natural gas energy supply.
• Ammonia is typically used to make nitrogen-based fertilisers and explosives; it also has a potential application for assisting in the transportation of hydrogen as a fuel. Through further processing, the hydrogen produced from the NetCarb process could be readily converted into ammonia using established industrial processes.
• Urea is a fertilizer used in agriculture to enhance the nitrogen content of soils. It is typically produced from ammonia combined with CO₂ and is currently a net import to Eastern Canada. As a potential byproduct of the NetCarb process, urea production could improve regional self-sufficiency in fertilizers.

The joint development programme will focus on three main areas: blue-green hydrogen and low-carbon fertilizers, magnesium-based products, and enhanced carbon removal using local biomass. Canada Nickel and NetCarb will continue to advance these initiatives through laboratory, pilot, and engineering phases, with the goal of establishing Northeastern Ontario as a model for zero carbon industrial development.

Given the extensive ultramafic resources in the Timmins Nickel District, there is potential to generate high-value by-products. NetCarb estimates that each tonne of Crawford tailings has the potential to store approximately 300 kg of carbon dioxide while producing 55 kg of hydrogen which could be further utilised to produce 310 kg ammonia or 545 kg of urea.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldfertilizer.com/environment/22102025/canada-nickel-and-netcarb-advance-sustainable-fertilizers/