Denitrification

Denitrifiction refers to a microbial process in which nitrate is converted to nitrogen gas. The process is part of the nitrogen cycle, a series of biogeochemical processes that transforms nitrogen and nitrogen-containing compounds in the environment. Denitrification is an important pathway in the nitrogen cycle because it removes nitrogen from an ecosystem and emits it into the atmosphere. Excess nitrogen (particularly nitrate) in water and aquatic systems has become a serious environmental problem that can affect human health and severely degrade ecosystems by stimulating plant and algae growth in receiving waters, reducing oxygen levels and causing algal blooms that are toxic to aquatic life. Cities increasingly use denitrification to remove nitrogen from sewage and wastewater before it is discharged into waterways. Because wetlands support conditions ...