Baylor team defines nitrogen fixation "hot spots", enhanced algae blooms

In Texas, a research team at Baylor University has determined that three specific conditions need to be in place for water-based nitrogen fixation to succeed: Water temperature needs to be above 72 degrees; the ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus needs to be low; the amount of available nitrogen in the water needs to be low.

The researchers were identifying factors that could be used to control plankton and algae blooms in reservoirs that affect taste and odor, but also found by implication conditions ideal for nitrogen fixation to promote the growth of microorganisms.  The research team found that the ratio to nitrogen to phosphorus needs to be below 15 to 1 to create a nitrogen fixation “hot spot”.

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Tags: algae, biofuels, nitrogen

Category: Research