Down-streaming Small-Scale Green Ammonia to Nitrogen-Phosphorus Fertilizer Tablets for Rural Communities

This study aims to evaluate the growth and production of sweet corn plants in response to the application of commercial NPK fertilizer and various doses of nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer tablets. From early October 2022 to late January 2023, research was conducted at Research and Development Luas Birus Utama to produce nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer tablets and at Research and Development Syngenta Indonesia Cikampek Station, Karawang, to perform a semi-field analysis. A factorial randomized block design with two treatment factors was employed in this study. The first factor was five types of nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer tablets, namely, A (0% nitrogen and 6.3% phosphorus), B (0.81% nitrogen and 6.3% phosphorus), C (1.57% nitrogen and 6.1% phosphorus), D (2.33% nitrogen and 6.2% phosphorus), and E (3.06% nitrogen and 6.2% phosphorus). The second factor was F (standard nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium). The results revealed that applying different dosages of nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer tablets in combination with potassium chloride fertilizer yielded no different effect on the growth, biomass, and yield components of sweet corn plants when compared to applying NPK fertilizer. A comparison between the soil test results before and after application revealed that the formulation of fertilizers in tablet form helps plants to effectively absorb the required nutrients. It is currently possible to develop small-scale or microscale green ammonia production technology to fulfill the fertilizer requirements of rural communities because of its low cost, low carbon emissions, and low renewable energy consumption. The scarcity of fertilizer supplies endangers Indonesia’s food sustainability. Nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer tablet production technology can be used in areas with a scarcity of inorganic fertilizers but with the potential for low-grade phosphate mines using commercial ammonia solutions. Thus, understanding how to produce nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer tablets from ammonia solution will aid in the acceptance of microscale green ammonia production technology.