Nitrogen is a vital element for life, and yet it is surprisingly difficult to fix, or convert, into a usable form. Now, a team of researchers has developed a novel synthetic nitrogen fixation pathway, using nitrogenases to convert nitrogen into ammonia. This breakthrough could have huge implications for food production, energy generation and manufacturing, as nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plants and a key component of many industrial processes. The team has already demonstrated that the pathway works in a lab setting, and they are now working to scale up the process and make it more efficient. This could be a major step forward in our ability to tap into a new source of nitrogen, helping to meet the world’s ever-increasing demand for the essential element.

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source: Phys.org