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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Environment
Petra Stock

Oil-based products are everywhere, from fertiliser to fashion. What are the alternatives?

Oil Hydrogen Australia Monash University
Aerial view of grape vines being sprayed in Margaret River, Western Australia
About half the world’s food production relies on synthetic nitrogen fertiliser, which is made using ammonia – a chemical derived from gas. Pictured: Grape vines being sprayed in Margaret River, Western Australia. Photograph: UWPhotog/Getty Images/iStockphoto

The standoff in the strait of Hormuz has shown just how dependent the world’s economy is on fossil fuels. From petrochemicals to plastics and fertiliser, they all begin life as oil or gas – but are there alternatives? Can we loosen the grip that fossil fuels have on our lives?

While solutions to wean the transport system off imported oil are well understood – albeit not fully implemented – substituting the plethora of petrochemicals that underpin everyday life is a much more challenging task.

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