Feed Your Crops.
Build Your Soil.
Cut Your Emissions.
NitroLig™ is a granulated lignite nitrogen fertiliser that can be used as a Urea alternative. Its slow-release formula delivers comparable yields to conventional Urea with significantly lower emissions.
Zero Quest Pty Ltd is an Australian agri-cleantech company changing the way we use Victorian brown coal (lignite) and imported fertiliser. NitroLig™ is a granulated lignite nitrogen fertiliser that delivers real agronomic performance while returning carbon to the soil. The manufacturing is low emission and its use by farmers creates carbon credits. The best thing, it doesn't cost more than Urea.
As global fertiliser supply chains face increasing disruption from geopolitical events and Australia's soils continue to degrade through loss of carbon, Zero Quest offers Australian farmers a domestically produced, price-stable alternative that doesn't compromise on yield or sustainability and returns precious carbon back to the soil.
Our Partners
Practical Experience.
Shared Ambition.
Zero Quest brings together industrial, agricultural and farming-market insight to guide NitroLig™ from development toward demonstration production.
CEO
Glenn Fozard
Industrial and technical lead.
Agricultural Expert
Ben Peverill
Engineer. Background in agricultural systems, water management, and microbial soil inoculants.
Director
Mark Scanlon
Deep connections across Australian broadacre farming.
Purpose-built to combine nitrogen efficiency with long term soil health
Zero Quest offers two products: 1) NitroLig+ containing enough nitrogen to create comparable yields to conventional Urea applications and 2) NitroLig Organic, designed to optimise the compound that slows nitrogen release to meet the stringent requirements of organic certifiers.
NitroLig+
Same costs and application rates as Urea
A granulated lignite nitrogen fertiliser designed to support comparable crop growth to conventional urea while improving nitrogen-use efficiency and returning organic carbon to the soil.
NitroLig Organic
A granulated lignite nitrogen fertiliser designed to slow nitrogen release to the equivalence of fish emulsion. In doing so, the release rate meets the stringent criteria for organic certification.
* This product is not certified organic.
** These trials were not independent.
Farm Trials
Register your interest to trial NitroLig+ or NitroLig Organic on your farm.
Farm Trials: Express InterestAdvanced Nitrogen Nutrition for
High-Performing Crops
NitroLig™ combines the nitrogen performance farmers demand with the soil-health benefits that build long-term productivity , without changing your application equipment, practices or budget.
Comparable Yield, Comparable Cost
Independent wheat testing shows NitroLig™ delivers a growth profile comparable to 100% urea, using less nitrogen.
Cost Competitive
Similar cost to conventional urea. No change to spreading equipment or application practices.
Lower Emissions
~47% lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional urea, with ~59% less nitrogen leaching, supporting waterway protection and sustainability targets.
Soil Health Benefits
The lignite carbon component enhances water retention, drought tolerance, and microbial activity , building soil organic carbon over time with a potential carbon credit pathway.
How Lignite Transforms
Nitrogen Fertiliser
NitroLig™ is produced using a proprietary cold-press granulation process that binds urea nitrogen with Victorian lignite to create a stable, slow-release granule.
Lignite + Nitrogen Binding
The ability for brown coal and nitrogen to bind into a slow-release compound has been extensively researched and peer reviewed over the last 30 to 40 years.
Slow-Release Nitrogen
The lignite-nitrogen compound slows the release of nitrogen into the soil, reducing volatilisation and leaching losses. Nitrogen is delivered to the plant more efficiently over the growing season.
Soil Carbon Return
The lignite carbon component remains in the soil after nitrogen is released, building soil organic carbon over successive applications , with a potential pathway to carbon credits.
NitroLig™ vs Conventional Urea
| Feature | NitroLig™ | Conventional Urea |
|---|---|---|
| GHG Emissions | ~47% lower | Baseline |
| Nitrogen Leaching | ~59% less | Baseline |
| Soil Carbon | Adds organic carbon | None |
| Application Method | Same equipment | Standard |
| Ownership & Manufacture | Australian owned. Manufactured in Victoria. | Imported |
| Supply Security | Sovereign supply | Import-dependent |
What is lignite?
You may know it as brown coal. But the lignite behind NitroLig™ isn't headed for a power station , it's chosen for what it can give back to the soil.
The short answer
The youngest, softest member of the coal family
Lignite is a soft, brown, crumbly rock formed from ancient plant matter , peat , that has been buried and compressed over millions of years, but only gently. Its name comes from the Latin lignum, “wood,” because you can often still see the plant tissue in it.
Unlike the hard black coals used to make steel, lignite forms at relatively low temperatures , below about 100 °C , through slow biochemical breakdown rather than intense heat and pressure. That makes it the lowest and youngest rank of coal, defined by very high moisture (often 45–60%) and a comparatively low energy content.
It's also unusually rich in the stable, carbon-based organic compounds known as humic substances , and that is the part that matters to a farmer.
Coal-rank progression
Where lignite sits
Peat slowly becomes coal. Lignite is the first true coal stage.
- Pre-coal stage
- Very low carbon
- Very high moisture
- Low carbon
- High moisture
- Humic-rich organics
- Moderate carbon
- Lower moisture
- Power generation
- High carbon
- Lower moisture
- Electricity & steel
- Highest carbon
- Lowest moisture
- Highest energy
The further right you go, the more the humic-rich organic matter is “cooked” away , which is exactly why lignite, not anthracite, is the one agriculture is interested in.
Protect Your Farm from
Global Fertiliser
Price Shocks
Australian farmers are exposed to the volatility of global fertiliser markets, prices driven by geopolitical events, shipping disruptions, and energy costs in distant countries.
NitroLig™ is manufactured in Victoria using locally sourced lignite. Its Victorian manufacturing pathway supports greater supply visibility for Australian farmers.
This is an artist's rendition of what the product may look like
A Low Emission Pathway for
Australian Agriculture
NitroLig™ is designed with sustainability at its core , from production through to soil application , aligning with Australia's low emission agricultural commitments.
Soil Organic Carbon
Each application returns lignite carbon to the soil, building soil organic carbon (SoC) over time , with a potential pathway to carbon credits under the SoC method.
Lower Emissions
~47% lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional urea. Aligns with Australia's low emission agricultural commitments and emissions reduction targets.
Reduced Leaching
~59% less nitrogen leaching into waterways , helping protect aquatic ecosystems and reduce the environmental footprint of fertiliser use.
Responsible Resource Use
Lignite is sourced from existing Victorian brown coal resources, repurposing a legacy material into a high-value agricultural input with a clear ESG rationale.
Community & Jobs
Production in the Latrobe Valley and Bacchus Marsh regions supports local employment and economic diversification in communities transitioning from fossil fuel industries.
Regulatory Compliance
Not classified as hazardous under GHS. Not classified as Dangerous Goods (IATA/IMDG). Suitable for air, sea and land transport. Full MSDS available on request.
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