Solar‑Powered Biobatteries Enable On‑Site Urea Production, Closing Three‑Year CONFETI Study

The pilot plant that can produce urea right on the farm has been activated, marking the conclusion of the three‑year CONFETI research programme coordinated by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

Urea, the planet’s most common nitrogen fertilizer, is usually produced in massive facilities and transported to fields, a practice that demands large amounts of energy and creates emissions from hauling. Generating the chemical directly at the farm, the new setup seeks to slash those indirect expenses and ecological footprints.

The CONFETI demonstrator pairs solar arrays with cutting‑edge biobatteries that retain renewable power for uninterrupted use. With that stored energy, an electrochemical reactor merges nitrogen from the air with carbon dioxide to synthesize urea, removing reliance on fossil‑fuel‑driven production methods. Its modular architecture permits installation across diverse field environments.

The investigation started in 2021 under UAB scientists, who worked alongside a consortium of European collaborators to perfect the technology and evaluate its feasibility. Throughout the programme, the group refined battery chemistry, solar coupling, and reaction performance, ultimately delivering the field‑ready demonstrator now running.

Stakeholders view the breakthrough as a move toward greener farming, particularly in areas where fertilizer transport costs are high. Producing urea at the point of use would let growers cut dependence on extended supply chains, diminish greenhouse‑gas emissions, and possibly save money. The project also dovetails with EU‑wide goals to decarbonise the agri‑food sector.

Going forward, the consortium intends to broaden trials to several crop locations, collect operational data, and investigate routes to commercialisation. Should the approach prove cost‑effective, it may herald a new era of on‑site fertilizer manufacturing that underpins resilient, low‑carbon agricultural systems.