StikstofInfo.net
StikstofInfo.net is a Dutch research and information website dedicated to the scientific, technical and policy aspects of the nitrogen problem in the Netherlands. The website operates as a technical research project and publishes analyses, commentaries and background articles on nitrogen and ammonia emissions, atmospheric modelling, permitting, and nature conservation policy.
Background
The website was founded and is maintained by Ir. Wouter de Heij, based in Wageningen through his company Food4Innovations. De Heij is an engineer with a background in food technology and process innovation. From that technical-analytical perspective, he investigates the foundations of Dutch nitrogen policy, with particular attention to the AERIUS atmospheric dispersion model, the Critical Deposition Value (KDW), the Computational Lower Limit (RKO) and the quality of ammonia measurement networks.
Partners mentioned on the website include CLM (Centre for Agriculture and Environment), Wageningen University & Research (WUR), and Caeli, a company specialising in advanced gas monitoring.
Topics
StikstofInfo.net covers a broad range of technical and policy subjects related to nitrogen and ammonia:
- Emissions and measurement — ammonia emissions from livestock farming, measurement methods, TAN (total ammoniacal nitrogen), milk urea as an indicator, and the gap between model outputs and field measurements
- Atmospheric modelling — operation and limitations of AERIUS and the OPS model, comparison with other European deposition models (TNO benchmark study), uncertainty margins and the Computational Lower Limit (RKO)
- Critical Deposition Values — origin, scientific basis and statistical uncertainty of the KDW as a policy instrument
- Permitting — the legal deadlock on nitrogen-sensitive projects, the PAS ruling (2019), appropriate assessment and target-based governance as an alternative
- Nature policy — Natura 2000 areas, conservation status, nature target analyses, acidification, liming and ecosystem management
- Manure policy — nitrates directive, phosphate policy, manure digestion, digestate, acidification of manure and innovative stable concepts
- Politics and governance — parliamentary debates, position papers from knowledge institutes, Council of State advice and international comparison of nitrogen policy
Ten recent and characteristic articles
The following articles give a representative overview of the work published on StikstofInfo.net. Where relevant, links are included to related pages in the Heath Nexus Wiki.
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Van verwarring naar verbinding: nieuwe position paper biedt route uit de stikstofimpasse (May 2026) — Position paper written for the Technical Briefing of the Dutch House of Representatives on 13 May 2026; proposes an integrated route out of the nitrogen impasse.
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De onzichtbare grens onder onze voeten: hoe fosfaat de echte spelbepaler is in het Nederlandse mestbeleid (May 2026) — Analysis of the role of phosphate saturation in Dutch agricultural soils and its interaction with nitrogen and manure policy.
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Benchmarkstudie van TNO naar stikstofdepositie in Nederland: vergelijking van vijf modellen (March 2026) — Review of a TNO study comparing five deposition models, finding that model uncertainty is too large for use at hectare level in permitting decisions.
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De RKO: de grens waarbij is vastgesteld dat een modeluitkomst ruis is (March 2026) — Technical explanation of the Computational Lower Limit and the legal paradox of a policy that seeks zero risk from a model with inherent uncertainties.
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Tien jaar fout stikstofbeleid: hoe het RIVM de kustvisserij en boeren op slot zette (March 2025) — A retrospective on ten years of nitrogen policy, including the case of coastal ammonia measurements and the predictions of marine biologist Han Lindeboom.
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De casus AERIUS: modelprecisie zonder meetnauwkeurigheid (April 2025) — Key analysis of the discrepancy between the apparent precision of AERIUS outputs and the fundamental uncertainty of underlying ammonia measurements. Relevant to understanding the nitrogen cycle.
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Waarom daalt de ammoniakconcentratie in de lucht niet, ondanks lagere emissies? (July 2025) — Analysis of the discrepancy between officially reported emission reductions and measured atmospheric ammonia concentrations.
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Twee jaar meten in de Foodvalley: hoe ammoniak zich werkelijk verspreidt (RDFV) (April 2025) — Review of two years of field measurements of ammonia in the Foodvalley region, conducted by the Regional Data Fusion Centre Foodvalley.
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De stikstofcrisis uitgelegd in drie deelproblemen (June 2025) — Overview article decomposing the Dutch nitrogen crisis into three interconnected problems: an emissions challenge, a governance failure and a conflict between worldviews on nature and agriculture.
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Eindejaarsbeschouwing: over stikstof, cijfers en de hardnekkigheid van aannames in het beleid (December 2025) — Year-end reflection on the state of the nitrogen dossier, the role of assumptions in models and policy, and the gap between scientific uncertainty and legal certainty.
Related wiki pages
- Ammonia — chemical properties, production and environmental effects
- Nitrogen Cycle — the biogeochemical cycle of nitrogen
- Haber-Bosch Process — industrial ammonia synthesis
- The European Nitrogen Assessment — European synthesis of reactive nitrogen effects