NitrogenFixation

Nitrogen Fixation

Biological

Abiological

Symbiotic y

Non Symbiotic S bi i

Industrial

Natural

Abiological nitrogen fixation

In abiological nitrogen fixation the nitrogen is reduced to ammonia g g g without involving any living cell. Abiological fixation can be of two types : industrial and natural. For example, in the Habers process, synthetic ammonia is produced by passing a mixture of nitrogen and hydrogen through a bed of catalyst (iron oxides) at a very high temperature and pressure.

In natural process nitrogen can be fixed especially during electrical discharges in the atmosphere. It may occur during lightning storms and nitrogen in the atmosphere can combine with oxygen to form oxides of nitrogen.

Biological nitrogen fixation Conversion of Atmospheric nitrogen (N=N) is reduced to ammonia in the presence of nitrogenase.

Biological Nitrogen Fixation

Symbiotic Root nodule Formation F i

Non Symbiotic

Enzyme Action y

Nitrogenase is a biological catalyst found in some microorganisms. such as the symbiotic Rhizobium and Frankia, or the free-living free living Azospirillum and Azotobacter. Biological nitrogen fixation is brought about bath by free-living soil g g g y g microorganisms and by symbiotic associations of microorganisms with higher plants. Leguminous plants fix atmospheric nitrogen by working symbiotically with special bacteria, rhizobia, which live in the root nodules. Rhizobia infect root hairs of the leguminous plants and produce the nodules. The nodules become the home for bacteria where they obtain energy from the host plant and take free nitrogen from the soil air and process it into combined nitrogen. In I return, the plant receives the fixed N from nodules and produces food h l i h fi d f d l d d f d and forage protein.

Mechanism of biological nitrogen fixation

Nitrogen fixation requires: i. ii. The molecular nitrogen A strong reducing power to reduce nitrogen like FAD (Flavin adenine Dinucleotide iii. Source of energy (ATP) to transfer hydrogen atoms to dinitrogen and iv. Enzymes nitrogenase and Legheamoglobin v. Compound for t C d f trapping the ammonia formed since it is toxic to cells. i th i f d i i t i t ll

vi. The reducing agent and ATP are provided by photosynthesis and respiration. respiration

Symbiotic Biological Nitrogen Fixation : Root Nodule Formation