Abstract

Our project removes ammonia from waste water, and via two E. coli mutants turns it into nitrous oxide.

Industrial processes have greatly increased the amount of fixed nitrogen, leading to an excess of ammonia in the environment. Ammonia is a common pollutant in agricultural runoff, and excess in the environment leads to increased algae growth (eutrophication) that potentially starves other water-borne organisms for oxygen. Our project reverses nitrogen fixation, and is a means to clean up polluted streams and wastewater. The final product is nitrous oxide, which can be sold as an industrial product or reclaimed and used as a fuel source.

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