Agriculture worldwide faces significant raw materials and climate change challenges, leading to increased food prices and a growing demand for fertilisers to maintain yields. Issues such as soil health decline, erosion, and sodicity further threaten global food security, with famine already impacting regions like Africa.
Moreover, the growing global population of eight billion exerts pressure on cereal crop production due to rising fertiliser prices, declining biodiversity, and geopolitical tensions.
Coal supports agriculture in two significant ways
From feeding the world through fertiliser production to restoring soil health through humate additives, coal's role in food security is both direct and growing.
Ammonia for fertilisers
Coal can be used to produce ammonia through gasification. Ammonia serves as a nitrogen source for plant growth. Over the last 50 years, ammonia production for fertilisers has surged to 176 million tonnes — a critical input for global food production.
Humates as soil supplements
Coal, derived from plants, can be used as a source of humates that are extracted and used to supplement soils. This practice is gaining acceptance, especially in Asia, where the demand for humic products is increasing by 10% annually. It also offers a productive alternative use for immature coal.
As the demand for ammonia-based fertilisers has risen over the last 50 years — primarily sourced from natural gas — global food production suffers due to record gas prices.
However, coal can also serve as a natural soil additive, reducing reliance on nitrogen fertilisers. Low-rank coal, such as lignite, can be utilised to extract humates, which are vital for nutrient fixation and water retention in soils.
Low-rank coals such as lignite and leonardite have the highest humate content and are the preferred feedstock for humic acid extraction used in agricultural soil conditioners.
Case
Studies.
Humate adoption is scaling across Asia and North America, with demand growing and established supply chains connecting coal producers to agricultural markets.
10% annual growth in humic products
This environmentally friendly practice is gaining popularity across Asia, where the demand for humic products increases by 10% annually.
Countries including China, South Korea, and India are at the forefront of humate adoption in commercial agriculture, driven by soil degradation challenges and the high cost of synthetic nitrogen fertilisers.
Lignite exported for fertiliser production
In the United States, regions like North Dakota extract lignite and ship it to India for processing into humic products used as fertilisers.
This cross-continental supply chain demonstrates the commercial viability of coal-derived humates and represents a growing export market for low-rank coal producers seeking new revenue streams.
A sustainable
future for food.
By applying humates, farmers can reduce the need for nitrogen fertilisers, cutting costs, waste, and pollution while supporting food production.
This innovative use of coal presents a timely and environmentally beneficial alternative, especially for low-rank coal — ensuring a sustainable future for food production while creating new economic value from existing coal resources.