CF Industries launches low-carbon ammonia exports with shipment to Belgium

CF Industries Holdings, the world’s largest ammonia producer, has announced the shipment of 23,500 metric tons of certified low-carbon ammonia from its Donaldsonville, Louisiana, facility to Antwerp, Belgium. The ammonia was purchased by commodities trader Trafigura for supply to Envalior, a global producer of engineering materials, which plans to use it in the production of low-carbon caprolactam.

The cargo, loaded on September 25, was certified under the Verified Ammonia Carbon Intensity (VACI) Program, indicating a substantially reduced carbon footprint compared with conventional natural gas-based ammonia. VACI certification measures greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas extraction to the production gate and requires third-party verification.

“This delivery marks an important milestone for CF Industries as we bring our first low-carbon ammonia offering to Europe,” said Bert Frost, executive vice president of sales, market development, and supply chain at CF Industries. “Working with Trafigura and Envalior supports the development of a low-carbon ammonia supply chain ahead of the EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism.”

Patricio Norris, Trafigura’s global head of ammonia and LPG, said the shipment was the company’s first low-carbon ammonia delivery to Europe. “This milestone reflects our shared goal of building low-carbon industrial solutions,” he added.

Thorsten Bredemann, Envalior’s vice president of global marketing and sales intermediates, said the company’s use of low-carbon feedstocks demonstrates its commitment to decarbonizing supply chains and supporting customer sustainability goals.

The production of low-carbon ammonia at CF’s Donaldsonville complex was made possible by the start-up of a carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility in July 2025. The CCS project has the capacity to store up to 2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually from the ammonia manufacturing process. CF Industries expects to produce about 1.9 million tons of VACI-certified low-carbon ammonia per year, which can also be converted into low-carbon nitrogen fertilizers.

This shipment follows CF Industries’ earlier delivery of low-carbon ammonia to a customer in Africa, as the company continues to expand its decarbonized product portfolio for industrial and agricultural markets.