Iranian Researchers Produce Low-Cost Fertilizer Using Innovative Method
According to a report by the Iran National Science Foundation (INSF), “Examining the photocatalytic capability of two chemical compounds in the photochemical reaction of converting atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia” was the title of a project that Reza Tayyebi, a professor at Hakim Sabzevari University, did with the support of the INSF.
“Nitrogen, as an essential element for building biomolecules, including proteins and nucleic acids, is needed by all organisms on earth. Moreover, stabilizing (storing) nitrogen in the soil is a process by which the molecular nitrogen present in air converts into ammonia or nitrogenous compounds in the soil. This process, meaning nitrogen stabilization (storage) is necessary for human life on the planet,” he explained.
Saying that mineral nitrogenous compounds are needed to join all organic compounds containing nitrogen such as amino acids and proteins, Tayyebi added, “These compounds are also necessary for agriculture and fertilizer production as a part of the nitrogen cycle.”
“For that, it is necessary to use a method artificially and industrially that costs less and uses a highly productive and recyclable catalyst. It should also be possible to perform this reaction in short time and with less energy loss,” the researcher noted.
“If the process of nitrogen storage in laboratory conditions is modified, better and more useful applications can be achieved by commercializing and generalizing it on a broader scale,” the Hakim Sabzevari University professor went on to say, adding, “Therefore, discovering more efficient and low-cost methods is absolutely required for nitrogen storage.”
“The method used in this project is very compatible with the environment and can be done cheaply and easily due to the use of abundant raw materials, namely water and air and the driving force, i.e. sunlight,” Tayyebi further noted.
“The successful implementation of the clinical phase of this project has resulted in the implementation of its semi-industrial pilot scheme in an easy and economical way,” he further asserted.
“The use of air as a primary fuel (raw material) and inexpensive photocatalyst that is available everywhere at no cost, the use of water as a reaction solvent system and sunlight as a light source are some of the advantages of this project to make it possible for inexpensive aqueous solutions to finally produce a good fertilizer at a low cost on an industrial scale,” he concluded.
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