Denitrification is a microbial process where nitrate (NO3−) is reduced and ultimately produces molecular nitrogen (N2) through a series of intermediate gaseous nitrogen oxide products. It is the process of removing valuable nitrogen from the soil and releasing the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O), and the tropospheric. Denitrification is the last step in the nitrogen cycle. Here are some key points about denitrification:
- Denitrification is a microbially facilitated process where nitrate is reduced and ultimately produces molecular nitrogen through a series of intermediate gaseous nitrogen oxide products.
- In nature, denitrification can take place in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Typically, denitrification occurs in anoxic environments, where the concentration of dissolved and freely available oxygen is depleted.
- Denitrification is commonly used to remove nitrogen from sewage and municipal wastewater. It is also an instrumental process in constructed wetlands and riparian zones for the prevention of groundwater pollution with nitrate resulting from excessive agricultural or residential fertilizer usage.
- Denitrification produces several gases: nitric oxide (NO), nitrous oxide (N2O), and dinitrogen (N2).
- Denitrification is the process during which the nitrogen compound is released back into the atmosphere by converting nitrate (NO3-) into gaseous nitrogen (N).
- Denitrification is the process in which anaerobic bacteria convert soil nitrates back into nitrogen gas. Denitrifying bacteria remove fixed nitrogen i.e. nitrates from the ecosystem and return it to the atmosphere in an inert form.
