Loop Chemicals licenses Sandia National Laboratories ammonia technology for distributed U.S. fertilizer production

Loop Chemicals is a U.S. startup focused on distributed ammonia production for fertilizer and future fuel markets. In May 2026, the company announced that it had licensed a thermochemical “chemical looping” ammonia technology developed by Sandia National Laboratories in collaboration with Arizona State University.

The technology is designed to produce ammonia using a cyclic chemical process rather than the conventional large-scale Haber-Bosch route. Loop Chemicals said it plans to commercialize the system through smaller, distributed ammonia plants located closer to agricultural regions.

Chemical looping ammonia production uses solid materials — typically metal nitrides or metal oxides — that repeatedly react with nitrogen and hydrogen in separate stages to synthesize ammonia. Instead of directly combining nitrogen and hydrogen continuously in a single high-pressure reactor, the process “loops” chemical intermediates through cyclical reactions.

Research published by Sandia scientists describes a two-step thermochemical cycle using cobalt-molybdenum nitride materials. In simplified terms, the material alternates between absorbing nitrogen and releasing ammonia under changing reaction conditions.

The approach can potentially operate at lower pressures and with greater operational flexibility than conventional ammonia plants.

The traditional Haber-Bosch process requires very high temperatures and pressures, typically around 400–500°C and 150–300 bar, making ammonia production highly energy intensive and capital intensive. Most global ammonia production still relies on natural gas as both feedstock and fuel.

Sandia’s chemical looping approach aims to reduce some of these constraints by separating reaction steps and potentially lowering pressure requirements by roughly an order of magnitude compared with Haber-Bosch.

Because of this, smaller modular ammonia systems may become more economically feasible, especially in rural or distributed settings where building a full-scale Haber-Bosch plant would be impractical.

Loop Chemicals says the technology could support “distributed ammonia production,” meaning fertilizer manufacturing closer to farms instead of relying entirely on large centralized plants and long-distance transportation networks.

Potential benefits highlighted by the company and Sandia include:

• Lower capital intensity compared with conventional ammonia plants
• Reduced transportation and supply-chain vulnerabilities
• Improved domestic fertilizer production capacity
• Better compatibility with renewable electricity and intermittent energy sources
• Potential future use of ammonia as a hydrogen carrier or marine fuel

The company also argues that localized ammonia production could strengthen rural economies and reduce dependence on imported nitrogen fertilizers.

No. The technology remains at an early commercialization stage. Sandia and academic partners have demonstrated laboratory-scale and prototype-level results, but large commercial deployment has not yet occurred.

Loop Chemicals said it is using grant funding from the Massachusetts Climatetech Studio program to build a prototype reactor with technical support from Sandia and Arizona State University.

Industry experts generally view chemical looping ammonia as one of several emerging alternatives to conventional ammonia synthesis, alongside electrochemical and plasma-based approaches. The key remaining challenges include scaling the technology, proving long-term reactor durability, and achieving production costs competitive with established Haber-Bosch facilities.