Overall
- Language
- English
- Conflict of Interest
- In relation to this article, we declare that there is no conflict of interest.
- Publication history
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Received March 18, 2024
Accepted July 9, 2024
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This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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Scalable Ammonia Synthesis in Fermentors Using Quantum Dot- Azotobacter vinelandii Hybrids
Abstract
This study introduces a scalable synthesis of ammonia through photochemical reactions, wherein nitrogen-fi xing bacterial
cells, Azotobacter vinelandii ( A. vinelandii ), form hybrids with colloidal quantum dots (QDs). Irradiation of the QD- A.
vinelandii hybrids with visible light is found to signifi cantly enhance ammonia production effi ciency. The inherently low
ammonia conversion rate of wild-type A. vinelandii is substantially increased upon incorporation of QDs. This increase
is attributed to the electron transfer from QDs within the bacterial cells to intracellular bio-components. Transferring this
chemistry to a large-scale reaction presents a tremendous challenge, as it requires precise control over the growth conditions.
We explore the scalability of the QD- A. vinelandii hybrids by conducting the photochemical reaction in a 5-L fermentor
under various parameters, such as dissolved oxygen, nutrient supply, and pH. Interestingly, ammonia was produced in media
depleted of carbon sources. Consequently, a two-step fermentation process was designed, enabling eff ective ammonia
production. Our fi ndings demonstrate that the QD- A. vinelandii hybrid system in a bioreactor setup achieves an ammonia
turnover frequency of 11.96 s −1 , marking a more than sixfold increase in effi ciency over that of nitrogenase enzymes alone.
This advancement highlights the potential of integrating biological and nanotechnological elements for scalable ammonia
production processes.