CF Industries Holdings, Inc., a global manufacturer of hydrogen and nitrogen products, and POET, the largest producer of biofuels, have launched a pilot project with major agriculture co-operatives to jointly develop a low-carbon fertilizers supply chain.
The goal of the pilot is to demonstrate how the use of low carbon nitrogen fertilizer can substantially reduce the carbon intensity of corn and enable the production of low carbon ethanol for use in motor fuel and export.
The pilot includes WinField United – the crop inputs and insights business of Land O’Lakes, Inc., one of America’s leading agribusiness and food companies – along with agricultural cooperatives NuWay-K&H, New Cooperative, and Farmer’s Cooperative.
Participants will track the carbon intensity certification of the low-carbon fertilizer produced by CF Industries and sold from its distribution network through retail distribution channels and finally to corn growers across Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska. POET’s facilities will then utilise the corn produced using lower carbon intensity fertilizer in Minnesota, Iowa, and Nebraska, US, for ethanol production. The consortium successfully completed the first distribution and applications of low-carbon ammonia fertilizer in Autumn 2025.
POET expects to use the corn grown with low-carbon ammonia to produce an estimated 5 - 6 million gallons of ethanol with lower carbon intensity.
“Fertilizers manufactured with a lower carbon intensity provide a quantifiable and certifiable method of decarbonizing bioethanol inputs,” said Bert Frost, executive vice president and chief commercial officer, CF Industries. “We are proud to collaborate with POET, WinField United, NuWay-K&H, New Cooperative, and Farmer’s Cooperative to demonstrate the viability of a low-carbon ethanol value chain that links low-carbon fertilizers to retailers to farmers to ethanol production.”
“At POET, we’re always working to expand markets for farmers and support Midwest economies,” said Christian McIlvain, President of POET Grain. “This trial provides an additional pathway to reduce the carbon intensity of our bioethanol, delivering both environmental and economic benefits for rural communities.”
CF Industries produces low-carbon ammonia at its Donaldsonville Complex by capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions generated by the ammonia production process and then permanently storing it underground. At full capacity, CF Industries is able to produce up to 1.9 million tpy of low-carbon ammonia at the site, which can meet the fertilizer requirements of up to 19 - 22 million acres of planted corn.
“Collaborating on this pilot programme that aims to build a sustainable supply chain from production to the end user was an immediate yes,” said Paul Barr, Senior Director - Procurement, Operations and Transportation, WinField United Crop Nutrients. “Together with CF Industries and our member-owners, we are driving innovation and growth for the future of agriculture. Our cooperative system has a commitment to environmental stewardship and leadership in low-carbon initiatives, applying best-in-class practices to benefit American farmers and advance agricultural sustainability.”