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Nitrogen Fixation Research Could Shed Light on Biological Mystery...Could Make Fertilizer Production
http://www.caltech.edu/news/nitrogen-fixation-research-could-shed-light-biological-mystery-74187[font face=Serif]05/25/2017
[font size=5]Nitrogen Fixation Research Could Shed Light on Biological Mystery[/font]
[font size=4]New Process Could Make Fertilizer Production More Sustainable[/font]
[font size=3]Inspired by a natural process found in certain bacteria, a team of Caltech researchers is inching closer to a new method for producing fertilizer that could some day hold benefits for farmers—particularly in the developing world—while also shedding light on a biological mystery.
…
• Ease of production: Because the technology being developed does not require high temperatures or pressures, there is no need for the large-scale industrial infrastructure required for the Haber-Bosch process. This means it might some day be possible to fix nitrogen in smaller facilities located closer to where crops are grown.
"Our work could help to inspire new technologies for fertilizer production," says Trevor del Castillo, a Caltech graduate student and co-author of the paper. "While this type of a technology is unlikely to displace the Haber-Bosch process in the foreseeable future, it could be highly impactful in places that that don't have a very stable energy grid, but have access to abundant renewable energy, such as the developing world. There's definitely room for new technology development here, some sort of 'on demand' solar-, hydroelectric-, or wind-powered process."
…
"If this can be achieved, distributed solar-powered ammonia synthesis can become a reality. And not just as a fertilizer source, but also as an alternative, sustainable, and storable chemical fuel," he says.
…[/font][/font]
[font size=5]Nitrogen Fixation Research Could Shed Light on Biological Mystery[/font]
[font size=4]New Process Could Make Fertilizer Production More Sustainable[/font]
[font size=3]Inspired by a natural process found in certain bacteria, a team of Caltech researchers is inching closer to a new method for producing fertilizer that could some day hold benefits for farmers—particularly in the developing world—while also shedding light on a biological mystery.
…
• Ease of production: Because the technology being developed does not require high temperatures or pressures, there is no need for the large-scale industrial infrastructure required for the Haber-Bosch process. This means it might some day be possible to fix nitrogen in smaller facilities located closer to where crops are grown.
"Our work could help to inspire new technologies for fertilizer production," says Trevor del Castillo, a Caltech graduate student and co-author of the paper. "While this type of a technology is unlikely to displace the Haber-Bosch process in the foreseeable future, it could be highly impactful in places that that don't have a very stable energy grid, but have access to abundant renewable energy, such as the developing world. There's definitely room for new technology development here, some sort of 'on demand' solar-, hydroelectric-, or wind-powered process."
…
"If this can be achieved, distributed solar-powered ammonia synthesis can become a reality. And not just as a fertilizer source, but also as an alternative, sustainable, and storable chemical fuel," he says.
…[/font][/font]
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.7b00014
