Microbes could help reduce the need for chemical fertilizers

Chemical fertilizers account for about 1.5 per about 1.5 percent 's greenhouse gas emissions.

Bacteria th MIT convert nitrogen gas to ammonia could help regenerate soil and protect plants from pests.

MIT chemists devised a metal-organic coati Bacteria protects bacterial cells from damage without impeding their growth or function.

The coating could make it much easier for farmers to deploy microbes as fertilizers.

"When we think about developing technology, we need to intentionally design it to be inexpensive and accessible, and that's what this technology MIT . It would help democratize regenerative agriculture," she says. The research was funded by the Army Research Office, a National Institutes of Health New Innovator Award, a National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences Core Center Grant, the CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars Program, the MIT J-WAFS Program, the MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium, and the MIT Deshpande Center. Ariel Furst ce the Paul M. Cook Career Development :. Chemical Engineering xlGi MIT he MIT Deshpande Center Sustainability Consortium J-WAFS Program MIT 132 degrees h Fahrenheit _NxlGi">National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences Core Center Grant Benjamin Burke ' 23 ss="summaryFe Gang Fan ightText__NxlGi">a National Institutes of Health New the Journal of the American Chemical Society Au d_ MIT hLightText__Nxl Pris Wasuwanich searc Evan Moore ' 23 > Se Chemical span> Furst Haber-Bosch maryFeed_highLightText__NxlGi">150 percent 50 MPN up to 48 percent Fahrenheit 122 degrees 50 degrees Celsius up to 12 GRAS FDA two MPN Furst