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NitroBLAST
Laying the foundation for nitrogen fixation
Nitrogen
Nitrogen gas, comprising 78% of Earth's atmosphere, is the most abundant chemical in the air.
Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plants.
However, N₂ is highly inert, making it difficult for plants to convert it into useful compounds that they can consume.
The Haber-Bosch process
In nature, the amount of nitrogenous compounds for plant consumption is limited, requiring fertiliser.
The Haber-Bosch process revolutionized agriculture by industrializing nitrogen fixation, greatly boosting agricultural productivity and feeding a large portion of the global population.
However, each year 200 million tonnes of reactive nitrogen is lost to the environment.
The Nitrogen Crisis
Over-fertilization
Over 80% of ammonia emissions in the Netherlands are due to over-fertilization.
Eutrophication
Excessive ammonia enrichment promotes uncontrolled algal blooms in water bodies causing eutrophication, which leads to loss of biodiversity.
What if plants could fix their own nitrogen?
We wouldn't need fertilizers, which could reduce up to 2% of global CO2 emissions due to their production.
We could:
reduce nitrogen emissions.
prevent eutrophication.
and protect biodiversity while sustaining agricultural productivity.
iGEM TU Delft
introduces
Laying the foundation for nitrogen fixation.
The roadmap to nitrogen-fixing eukaryotes
Characterize the UCYN-A transport system in the dry lab
Express essential proteins in the host
Regulate cell division
Insertion into eukaryotic cells
Investigate the global impact
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