Re:The antidote to civilisational collapse – An interview wi...
by adwn on Wednesday April 07, 2021 @07:00AM
(#26723096)
> the air is notably lacking in both oxygen (for us) and nitrogen (for plants)
Minor nitpick: There are only very few plants that are able to extract nitrogen from the air. That's because N2 is a very stable molecule and it takes a lot of energy to use it chemically. Almost all plants are dependent on other nitrogen compounds they extract using their roots.
[That's the reason why the invention of the Haber-Bosch process, which fixes the N2 from the air into NH3 (ammonia), was such a big deal. It is estimated that 50% of the nitrogen atoms in your body once passed through the Haber-Bosch process.]
There's probably plenty of nitrogen in various minerals on Mars. Just not in the atmosphere.
Minor nitpick: There are only very few plants that are able to extract nitrogen from the air. That's because N2 is a very stable molecule and it takes a lot of energy to use it chemically. Almost all plants are dependent on other nitrogen compounds they extract using their roots.
[That's the reason why the invention of the Haber-Bosch process, which fixes the N2 from the air into NH3 (ammonia), was such a big deal. It is estimated that 50% of the nitrogen atoms in your body once passed through the Haber-Bosch process.]
There's probably plenty of nitrogen in various minerals on Mars. Just not in the atmosphere.