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ManfromMiddletown:
the last section here is of less use on this site than Daily Kos

Nope. It's of great interest, like the whole diary.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Mar 19th, 2014 at 04:37:07 AM EST
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Re: ammonia, see this diary and others by SacredCowTipper. There's no need for imports to synthesize nitrogenous fertiliser.

There's also no need for as much nitrogenous fertiliser. Maize monoculture + irrigation leads to overuse of N, hence nitrate pollution of aquifers.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sun Mar 23rd, 2014 at 04:01:03 AM EST
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Link isn't working.  Blued out, but won't click.

I think that SacredCowTipper is Stranded Wind, aka Neal. (Google the latter username and the real first name.)

There are serious issues with the source here.  Serious, serious issues. Just an FYI so that you don't step into the hot mess unbeknownest to yourself.

That said, I do think that in the long term synthesis of hydrogen from electrolysis of water is going to be an fruitful venture.  I just don't think that the science is there yet. AFAIK, the only place where the process is used is in Zimbabwe, where it's a holdover from the days of Rhodesia sustained by current sanctions. They use hydro as the electric source.

As for overuse of nitrogen fertilizers.  There's an argument for that.  Before electrolysis enters into the mix, I think there's a ready source of methane to be had in the massive manure lagoons that are associated with Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) in North America.  Interestingly, European transplants (primarily Dutch) are a driving force in scaling CAFOs up in the Great Lakes region.

They sell expensive land in the Netherlands, and come to the US with buckets of cash.  Because they are making a $500,000+ investment, they get waived through immigration under the EB-5 visa program.  Land is much cheaper here, and they are able to put up massive buildings that house thousands of animals.  Producing millions of gallons of manure, which is over applied to the relatively small patches of land the CAFO owns.

In most states, they have no obligation to treat the manure, meaning that there is no incentive to dispose of it responsibly.  A small tipping fee could change the economics enough to justify investment in bio-diesel and related industries.  

And I'll give my consent to any government that does not deny a man a living wage-Billy Bragg

by ManfromMiddletown (manfrommiddletown at lycos dot com) on Sun Mar 23rd, 2014 at 06:13:05 AM EST
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The link works for me. Yes, it's Stranded Wind.

The link wasn't meant as an endorsement (I was never convinced by the specific projects proposed). Simply an example of why we don't need to import ammonia.

Whether the nitrogen is of synthetic or organic origin, abuse creates pollution of the water supply. Spreading slurry from intensive animal operations is a typical form of abuse.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sun Mar 23rd, 2014 at 06:23:33 AM EST
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In the Ogallala Aquifer here in the US, nitrate pollution is pretty solidly tied to high ammonia fertilizer use.
by rifek on Tue Mar 25th, 2014 at 10:07:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Here's the link again to see if it works.

Oddly, it works from Recent Comments, not from here in the diary..?

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sun Mar 23rd, 2014 at 06:25:45 AM EST
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Both links works for me from inside the diary.

Sweden's finest (and perhaps only) collaborative, leftist e-newspaper Synapze.se
by A swedish kind of death on Sun Mar 23rd, 2014 at 07:20:26 AM EST
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