Nitrogenase
fixes about 175 million tonnes of nitrogen from the atmosphere every
year.
For every molecule
of nitrogen converted, 12 molecules of glucose are consumed, twice
the energy required in the most up-to-date industrial ammonia
plants. But the energy source is the Sun.
Could we in the future immobilise
nitrogenase, and harness for our direct use its ability to convert
nitrogen to ammonium compounds at atmospheric temperature and
pressure?
For thousands of
years bacteria have been converting atmospheric nitrogen into a useful
source of nitrogen compunds for agriculture. The enzyme responsible for
this is nitrogenase.
