Key Takeaways
- NitroCapt has been awarded the 2025 Food Planet Prize, the world’s largest environmental award.
- The Sweden-based company was recognized for its energy-efficient, plasma-based nitrogen fertilizer production process.
- The technology eliminates fossil fuel dependence and may support sustainable farming worldwide.
- The award was presented by the Curt Bergfors Foundation on June 13 in Stockholm.
- NitroCapt is finalizing its industrial-scale pilot to expand field deployment of its nitrate fertilizer.
NitroCapt Honored with Food Planet Prize for Advancing Low-Emission Fertilizer Technology
NitroCapt, a Swedish company developing plasma-based nitrogen fertilizer, has received the 2025 Food Planet Prize from the Curt Bergfors Foundation. The prize, awarded in Stockholm on June 13, is the world’s largest environmental award and recognizes solutions with potential to significantly reduce the environmental footprint of global food systems.
Represented by CEO and Founder Gustaf Forsberg, Strategy Director Björn Lindh, and CFO Adam Rosenholm, the NitroCapt team accepted the prize alongside jury Co-Chairs Johan Rockström of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Magnus Nilsson of the Curt Bergfors Foundation.
Plasma-Based Process Aims to Decarbonize Fertilizer Sector
NitroCapt’s core innovation lies in producing nitrate fertilizer using only air and green electricity through a plasma process. This method aims to replace the conventional Haber-Bosch process, which relies heavily on fossil fuels and accounts for emissions comparable to those of the aviation industry.
According to Rockström, the plasma-based system not only reduces energy requirements by a factor of ten but also allows for decentralized, local production that may enhance food security while improving soil health.
Path to Commercialization Underway For NitroCapt
While the company is still in the pilot phase, it has begun field trials and is working toward broader deployment. Forsberg emphasized that the Food Planet Prize will provide key support for scaling efforts: “We are just about to finalize our industrial-scale pilot, and we have fertilizer in the field, but we’re still not at the scale where we want to be. This Prize will be very important for us to bring our technology to the stage where we can start making a difference.”
