Ammobia Reinvents a Century-Old Ammonia Production Technology, Slashing Costs and Emissions
By Tim De Chant, Senior Reporter, Climate | Published January 13, 2026
Ammonia, a chemical crucial to global agriculture and food production, has long relied on a technology developed over a century ago—the Haber-Bosch process—to produce it at scale. However, this entrenched process remains a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, contributing nearly 2% of global emissions. Now, a new startup named Ammobia claims to have reinvented this foundational technology, reducing costs by up to 40% and lowering the environmental footprint of ammonia production.
The Importance of Ammonia and the Problem with Haber-Bosch
Ammonia is indispensable for fertilizer production, directly supporting global food security. Despite its importance, the Haber-Bosch process used to produce ammonia requires high temperatures (around 500°C) and high pressures (approximately 200 bar or 2,900 psi). These extreme conditions demand substantial energy, usually supplied by burning fossil fuels, which makes the process environmentally taxing.
The production of hydrogen—the key feedstock alongside nitrogen for ammonia synthesis—also largely depends on natural gas, where methane (CH₄) is split using steam. This reliance on fossil fuels further exacerbates ammonia’s carbon footprint.
Ammobia’s Innovation: Lowering Temperature and Pressure
Ammobia’s breakthrough modifies the traditional Haber-Bosch process, enabling ammonia synthesis to occur at temperatures about 150°C lower and at 10 times less pressure than usual. This substantial shift means that plants using Ammobia’s technology can operate with less polluting energy sources and avoid the expense of specialized high-pressure, high-temperature equipment.
Karen Baert, Ammobia’s co-founder and CEO, emphasized these advantages in an exclusive interview with TechCrunch. “The big advantage of ammonia is that it’s much easier and more cost-effective to transport and store,” she said. “That opens up a range of opportunities.”
Compatibility with Renewable Energy and Modular Scaling
Ammobia’s lower-pressure process also simplifies operational control, allowing production rates to scale up and down more flexibly. This flexibility aligns well with intermittent renewable energy sources, where surplus electricity can be used to generate hydrogen and, subsequently, ammonia during peak availability — all without the need to store large volumes of hydrogen or electricity.
Additionally, the company’s process enables the construction of smaller, modular plants. While typical ammonia facilities today produce between 1,000 to 3,000 tons per day, Ammobia’s commercial-scale units will produce around 250 tons daily. Scaling output can be achieved by installing multiple units, providing customers with adaptable solutions.
Funding and Industry Support
To demonstrate and scale its novel technology, Ammobia has raised a $7.5 million seed round with backing from industry heavyweights such as Air Liquide’s venture arm ALIAD, Chevron Technology Ventures, Chiyoda Corporation, MOL Switch, and Shell Ventures.
The funds will be used to build a pilot plant with all the commercial model’s features at a smaller scale of about 10 tons per day to validate performance and reliability.
Technical Insights and Future Potential
While Ammobia has not disclosed the precise details of how it achieves the lower pressure and temperature operation, the company has a patent pending for a reactor system that incorporates a sorbent to remove ammonia as it forms. This dynamic removal frees up catalyst sites for continued reaction, possibly contributing to improved efficiency.
Researchers in the broader scientific community have also explored alternative catalysts such as manganese nitride, which require less energy to facilitate the reaction, hinting at parallel approaches to improving ammonia synthesis.
If successful, Ammobia’s innovation could expand ammonia’s role beyond fertilizer. Some countries, like Japan and South Korea, are investigating ammonia as a carbon-neutral energy carrier or an alternative to hydrogen for decarbonizing industries and transportation, leveraging ammonia’s higher energy density and established transport infrastructure.
Conclusion
Ammobia’s reinvention of the century-old Haber-Bosch process could mark a transformative step in reducing the carbon footprint of one of the world’s most essential chemicals. By cutting costs, lowering emissions, and enabling flexible operation with renewable energy, this new technology promises to unlock fresh opportunities for ammonia’s role in a decarbonized future.
Tim De Chant is a Senior Climate Reporter at TechCrunch with a background in environmental science and policy. He can be reached at tim.dechant@techcrunch.com.
