Chinese scientists develop new technology to assist in nitrate conversion and promote sustainable agricultural development

According to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, researchers at its Ecological Environment Research Center have developed a sustainable technology that can selectively convert nitrate into ammonium. This achievement was recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the United States.

Nitrate is an important inorganic nitrogen source for plants, but excessive nitrate can cause problems such as groundwater pollution Inspired by the widespread presence of Fe (II) ions in nature, researchers have developed a strategy for in-situ regulation of solid-liquid interfaces. By using the common hydroxylated iron oxide FeOOH as the Fe source, an in-situ Fe (II) ion layer is generated under electrical stimulation, which limits electrostatic repulsion, enhances the aggregation of nitrate ions at the interface, and significantly improves the reduction efficiency of nitrate

The application of this technology is particularly crucial in rice cultivation. Rice, as one of the three major food crops in the world, relies on ammonium as its main nitrogen source for growth, and the irrigation water in rice fields often contains abundant nitrate Research has shown that converting nitrate to ammonium during the tillering stage can significantly improve the nitrogen absorption efficiency of rice. The laboratory pot experiment showed that after adopting this technology, rice yield increased by more than 20%, while fertilizer usage decreased by 50%, which is a significant improvement compared to traditional planting methods

This research achievement provides new ideas for solving the problems of excessive use of fertilizers and environmental pollution in agricultural production, which is of great significance for promoting sustainable agricultural development and contributing Chinese wisdom to global food security and ecological environment protection