Use diamonds to make fertilizer

Fertilizer for the farm needs to turn nitrogen into ammonia.

The current industrial process uses intense pressure and temperature to produce a chemical reaction and the process requires a lot of energy.

It is estimated that around 2% of the world's electricity is pumped into the process. For decades, scientists have sought to find alternatives that are easy and cost-effective.

Recently, chemist Robert Hamers of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA) finally reached the goal, thanks to diamonds. Mr. Hamers uses low cost artificial diamonds, which combine with hydrogen, water and ultraviolet radiation to create a reactant that, when exposed to nitrogen, turns into ammonia.

This is a process that does not require high pressures and temperatures, which should be considered as a major improvement on industrial scale.

One factor to consider is the ultraviolet ray, which needs energy to produce, but Hamers assures that the energy consumed by the process is lower than normal, according to a report in the journal Nature. Materials.