NitroCapt has been announced as the winner of the 2025 Food Planet Prize, one of the world’s largest environmental awards. We spoke with the team to learn how their nitrogen fertilizer solution tackles one of the most urgent challenges in the global food system.
NitroCapt’s technology aims to transform the production of mineral nitrogen fertilizers, one of agriculture’s most polluting sectors. Their solution offers a radical alternative: a fossil-free electrified nitrogen fixation process that uses only air and water as input, which is more energy-efficient and cost-effective than other green alternatives.
– Our technology allows a way forward to replace the current industry with local, energy-efficient fertilizer production with very low emissions, both in the manufacturing process and in the fields, says Adjani Isabelle, Business Developer at NitroCapt.
Award-winning idea
Today, nitrogen fertilizers account for as many CO₂ emissions as the entire aviation industry. In Europe, production also relies heavily on imported fossil-based feedstocks, creating a dangerous dependency in times of geopolitical instability.
NitroCapt received the Food Planet Prize in June 2025. Their solution stood out among a strong group of global nominees for its potential to transform the nitrogen fertilizer industry and enhance food security by enabling decentralized, smaller-scale production plants that can manufacture fertilizer locally.
Almost a decade of work
Founded in 2016, NitroCapt has spent nearly ten years refining its technology through focused research and development. Now, with the $2 million in funding from the award, NitroCapt can continue to work on its solution.
– This award represents a great recognition of the impact our technology can have, as well as highlights the incredible effort of our team who work tirelessly on bringing our solution to the market, says Adjani Isabelle.
What’s next?
With a pilot successfully operating and positive results from early agricultural testing, NitroCapt is already looking ahead to the next phase of growth.
– We are currently operating our pilot in Uppsala and are preparing to begin construction of our first commercial unit in 2026. We work on constantly improving our technology as well as prepare the market for our products through various partnerships within the agriculture sector. This sector is showing a large and concrete demand for our solution, says Adjani Isabelle.
Learn more about NitroCapt and explore more cleantech companies in the food and agriculture sector at swedishcleantech.com/companies.
