Green route for ammonium nitrate synthesis: fertilizer for plant growth enhancement

Enhancing soil health with increasing the nitrogen content of zeolite-based fertilizers for agricultural applications

Zeolite-based-fertilizers can be obtained by adsorbing plant nutrients to their porous structure. In this research, the natural zeolite (0-200 μm) from Gordes/Türkiye was combined with NH4NO3 in a 1:4 solid ratio and processed at 200 °C for 2-24 hours and characterized with diffrent techniques. The optimal synthesis time was 8 hours, yielding a fertilizer with 5.06% nitrogen content. The zeolite-based-fertilizer exhibited a clinoptilolite structure similar to the raw zeolite but demonstrated a greater percentage of mass loss in the DTA/TGA analyses and distinct nitrate peaks in the FTIR spectra, attributable to ammonium nitrate adsorption. The BET results showed a decrease in the BET surface area after the adsorption of NH4NO3 onto natural zeolite, with measured values of 34.56 m²/g for natural zeolite and 19.24 m²/g for zeolite-based-fertilizer. The results indicate successful synthesis of a zeolite-based nitrogen fertilizer with potential compatibility with Green Deal goals.  .

Green synthesis of ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) fertiliser: production via plasma water/ice interaction with air and NH3 plasma

This study introduces a green and sustainable method for synthesising ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) using plasma activated water (PAW). Nitrate ions (NO 3 - ) were generated via air plasma treatment, and ammonium ions (NH 4 + ) were introduced using low pressure ammonia (NH₃) plasma exposure to nitrate-rich PAW in frozen form to produce NH4NO3. Results demonstrated that process parameters, including NH₃ gas pressure, applied voltage, and treatment time, significantly influenced PAW properties, with NH₃ plasma treatment time showing the most substantial impact. Extending the treatment time from 0.5-1.5 hours increased NH 4 + ion concentration by 134.2%, achieving a maximum of 168.2 mg L-¹ with an energy consumption of 74.8 mg NH 4 + ions kWh-¹. The NO 3 - ion concentration reached 63.5 mg L-¹ with an energy yield of 222 mg NO 3 - ions kWh-¹. This method achieved a total yield of 27.6 mg NH4NO3 kWh-¹ and produced a neutral to slightly basic PAW suitable for agricultural applications, offering a promising alternative to traditional NH4NO3 production processes.

Simultaneous remediation of diesel-polluted soil and promoted ryegrass growth by non-thermal plasma pretreatment

The remediation of petroleum-polluted soil has garnered significant global attention. In this study, a pot-culture experiment was conducted to assess the feasibility of using non-thermal plasma (NTP) as an efficient and economic-friendly pretreatment method in the phytoremediation of diesel-polluted soil. The remediation effectiveness was evaluated via both the removal of diesel and the ryegrass growth. Specifically, at the 50th d of ryegrass growth, the increase of diesel removal efficiency with NTP pretreatment ranged from 16 % to 30 %. Moreover, both clean and diesel-polluted soils pretreated by NTP promoted the growth of ryegrass in shoot lengths and biomass especially after the 35th d. It was found that nitrate nitrogen fixed by NTP not only stimulated the nitrate reductase activities in leaves and promoted plant growth, but also was transformed to more ammonia nitrogen for organism life activity. Subsequent investigation proved that the related nitrogen-metabolism activities of microbes were enriched in rhizosphere soils with NTP pretreatment. Furthermore, NTP treatment increased the abundance of beneficial microbial communities in diesel soil rhizosphere on the 42nd d of growth period. In addition, changes in the proportions of soil dissolved organic matter indicated enhanced nutrient cycling in soils with NTP pretreatment. These promotional effects underscored the contribution of NTP pretreatment in rapidly detoxifying diesel-contaminated soil within 10 min and accelerated the establishment of ryegrass ecosystem. This study provides valuable insights into the role of nitrogen fixation and offers an efficient and promising advanced approach for the phytoremediation of diesel-polluted soil with NTP pretreatment.

Detection of NO3- introduced in plasma-irradiated dry lettuce seeds using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization quantum mass spectrometry (LC-ESI QMS)

Discharge plasma irradiates seeds with reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS). However, RONS introduced in seeds by plasma irradiation have not been successfully detected thus far. This study provides experimental evidence that nitrate ion NO3- is introduced in lettuce seeds as RONS upon irradiation with atmospheric-pressure air dielectric barrier discharge plasma. Plasma irradiation for 5 min promotes seed germination. The components of the plasma-irradiated seeds were examined using electrospray ionization quantum mass spectrometry (ESI QMS), which revealed that the plasma irradiation introduced an ion with a mass of 62 m/z in detectable amounts. This ion was identified as NO3- by liquid chromatography (LC), multiple wavelength detector (MWD), and LC-ESI QMS. A one-dimensional simulation at electron temperature Te = 1 eV, electron density Ne = 1013/m3, and gas temperature Tg = 300 K indicated the introduction of NO3-, involving nitric oxide NO. NO3- is one of the most important ions that trigger signal transduction for germination when introduced in seeds. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed that there was no change on the surface of the seeds after plasma irradiation. Plasma irradiation is an effective method of introducing NO3- in seeds in a dry process without causing damage.