Nitrogen compound removal processes (KO5021 NITRGONE)

Project objective is to provide information on means of reducing emissions of nitrogen compounds to the environment. This information is directed to businesses and authorities with responsibility for reducing environmental impacts. Nitrogen compounds (such as ammonia, nitrate and nitrite) form an important part of the nutrient cycle for plant growth. Significant advances in food production were made with the development of technologies to ‘fix’ nitrogen from air and make it available to plants in the form of nitrogen compounds in mineral fertilizers. However, the leakage of nitrogen compounds into waterways can lead to environmental problems such as eutrophication. In addition, microbial action can result in some of the nitrogen being emitted as nitrous oxide, which has a Greenhouse gas effect 300 times greater than that of carbon dioxide. Hence, there is a need to concentrate on reduction of nitrogen compound emissions to the environment.
The main NITRGONE project outputs will be a web-based information resource for businesses and local authorities on nitrogen compound emissions as well as results from experimental testing of technologies to remove or reduce nitrogen compounds from specific sources.