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Engineering doi: 10.1016/j.eng.2023.09.013

Planetary Homeostasis of Reactive Nitrogen Through Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidation

a Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
b Department of Environment and Science, Queensland Government, Brisbane QLD 4102, Australia
c Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel 4056, Switzerland
d CSIR-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar 751013, India
e Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Praha 16521, Czech Republic
f Department of Microbiology, Radboud University, Nijmegen 6525 XZ, the Netherlands
g Key Laboratory of Watershed Geographic Sciences, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
h State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
i University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

Received: 2023-01-18 Revised: 2023-08-15 Accepted: 2023-09-07 Available online: 2023-10-31

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Abstract

The availability of nitrogen (N) is crucial for both the productivity of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems globally. However, the overuse of artificial fertilizers and the energy required to fix nitrogen have pushed the global nitrogen cycle (N-cycle) past its safe operating limits, leading to severe nitrogen pollution and the production of significant amounts of greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). The anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) mechanism can counteract the release of ammonium and N2O in many oxygen-limited situations, assisting in the restoration of the homeostasis of the Earth’s N biogeochemistry. In this work, we looked into the characteristics of the anammox hotspots’ distribution across various types of ecosystems worldwide. Anammox hotspots are present at diverse oxic–anoxic interfaces in terrestrial systems, and they are most prevalent at the oxic–anoxic transition zone in aquatic ecosystems. Based on the discovery of an anammox hotspot capable of oxidizing ammonium anoxically into N2 without N2O by-product, we then designed an innovative concept and technical routes of nature-based anammox hotspot geoengineering for climate change, biodiversity loss, and efficient utilization of water resources. After 15 years of actual use, anammox hotspot geoengineering has proven to be effective in ensuring clean drinking water, regulating the climate, fostering plant and animal diversity, and enhancing long-term environmental quality. The sustainable biogeoengineering of anammox could be a workable natural remedy to resolve the conflicts between environmental pollution and food security connected to N management.

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