User:BryanFraser/sandbox

Agriculture

 * Early results from Dan Nocera, a researcher at Harvard University, gave insight on how his newly created bionic leaf can be used for fertilizer production. This new bionic leaf uses photovoltaic cells in conjunction with Xanthobacter autotrophicus bacteria to create a plastic called polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB). PHB supplies energy to the bacteria's natural enzymes which then converts nitrogen gas from the air into ammonia. The bionic leaf, can perform this process using renewable electricity, allowing for the sustainable production of ammonia and bio-fertilizers. Currently, the main industrial production of ammonia is performed by what is known as the Haber-Bosch Process, which uses natural gas as the main energy source. The bacteria within the bionic leaf also help to remove carbon dioxide from the environment. The bionic leaf must still pass an environmental impact study in order to determine if this bacteria is safe to release into the wild. Although the bionic leaf currently operates at a mere 25% efficiency, research and development is still with the hopes of improving the process.
 * X. autotrophicus cells act as a living bio-fertilizer due to their ability to directly promote plant growth when applied to organic material. A study was conducted by comparing plants treated with no fertilizer to the same treated with increasing amounts of X. autotrophicus culture. The treated plants root mass and total mass increased by approximately 130% and 100% respectively, compared to that of the untreated control group.