Fertilizer produced by sunlight

US scientists have discovered ways to use sunlight to synthesize ammonia, an important ingredient in fertilizer production.

There are currently two main ways to synthesize ammonia (NH ₃ ) from nitrogen gas (N ₂ ). The first is the biological method, the bacteria are found in legume nodules and some plants use nitrogenase to convert nitrogen into ammonia. The second is based on the Haber-Bosch industrial process , which involves a variety of chemical reactions at high temperature and pressure.

Fertilizers play an important role in increasing crop yields. (Image: Wordpress)

Scientists at the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Research Laboratory (NREL), in collaboration with the University of Colorado, are working on a new synthesis process that exploits the bioassay potential of nitrogenase on the production scale. industry.

The team combined the nitrogenase with the nanocrystals of the cadmium sulfide compound (CdS) . Solar light stimulates the electrons in the nanocrystal, generating the conversion of nitrogen into ammonia. The results are published in the journal Science on April 22.

"The secret lies in the combination of semiconductor nanocrystals capable of absorbing sunlight with nitrogenase, a natural catalyst that converts nitrogen into ammonia," said Gordana Dukovic, co- said.

Today, fertilizer production is a very energy-consuming process, mainly based on fossil fuels. The new technology brings hope to fertilizer production in a more sustainable way.

"Using sunlight to make catalytic chemical reactions hardly expands the potential of new chemicals and fuel production," said Katherine Brown, a research fellow at NREL.