D E S C R I P T I O N

Content

Description

1. The Inspiration

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     In the mid-17th century, Van Helmont, a Dutch scientist, conducted an interesting experiment: he placed 200 pounds of soil in a pottery jar and dried it in an oven, then soaked it with rainwater and inserted a 5-pound willow branch. Five years later, this willow tree grew up and weighed 169 pounds and 3 ounces. At this point, he dried the soil again and obtained the same 200 pounds as before. However, apart from rainwater, no other substance was ever added to this container. So, he came to the conclusion that the increased weight of 164 pounds of wood, bark, and roots only came from water.

     In 1782, Swiss Jean Snebier revealed that carbon dioxide in the air is necessary for plant growth. With the development of chemistry and biology, other substances required for plant growth, such as nitrogen, inorganic salts, minerals and so on have also been discovered, proving that plant growth requires more than just water. In 1840, Justus von Liebig laid the foundation of modern fertilizer industry by studying the elements required for plant growth and where they were obtained.

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2. Issues Arising

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     In the mid-19th century, the global population grew at a high speed and exceeded 8 billion by 2023. In order to meet the growing demand for food, the fertilizer industry has rapidly grown and its usage of fertilizer has significantly increased. In 2020, the global application of chemical fertilizers in agricultural soils reached 192 million tons [3]. The excessive use of chemical fertilizers has caused many environmental problems[4], which includes soil compaction, eutrophication of water bodies, greenhouse effect and so on. Therefore, it's particularly important for environmental protection to find effective solutions to reduce fertilizer usage.

3. New Discoveries

     Some researches have shown that hydrogen has a positive effect on plant growth. Hydrogen can promote seed germination[7] and plant growth [8]. It can also be used for crop preservation [5]. In addition, hydrogen can also increase the number of rhizosphere microorganisms and enhance plant disease resistance [6]. Therefore, "hydrogen fertilizer" is expected to replace some fertilizers and reduce the amount of fertilizer used.

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4. Our Plan

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     Due to the unstable chemical properties of hydrogen, it is not easy to use it directly. Hydrogen rich water effectively solves this problem. The team decides to produce hydrogen rich water in a green way of Synthetic biology. The whole process can be divided into two parts, namely the NAD+ cyclic regeneration system and the hydrogen production system. With the effect of methanol dehydrogenase, formaldehyde dehydrogenase and formate dehydrogenase, methanol can be decomposed into carbon dioxide and convert NAD+ into NADH. Then, Hydrogenase utilizes NADH to produce hydrogen and achieve the regeneration of NAD+. With the two parts coupled, it becomes practical to produce hydrogen rich water in a green and efficient way in a liquid phase system.

🖊 Reference

[1]Hignett, T.P. (1985). History of Chemical Fertilizers. In: Hignett, T.P. (eds) Fertilizer Manual. Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences, vol 15. Springer, Dordrecht.
[2]Russel D A，Williams G G. History of Chemical Fertilizer Development[J/OL]. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 1977, 41(2): 260-265.
[3]Iqbal S, Riaz U, Murtaza G. Chemical Fertilizers, Formulation, and Their Influence on Soil Health[M/OL]//HAKEEM K R, DAR G H, Mehmood M A. Microbiota and Biofertilizers. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2021: 1-15[2023-06-26].
[4]Sharma A. A Review on the Effect of Organic and Chemical Fertilizers on Plants[J/OL]. International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology, 2017, V(II): 677-680.
[5]Zulfiqar F, Russell G, Hancock J T. Molecular hydrogen in agriculture[J/OL]. Planta, 2021, 254(3): 56.
[6] Shen Wenbiao, Su Jiuchang, Sun Xuejun. Research progress in the botanical effects of hydrogen gas [J]. Journal of Nanjing Agricultural University,2018,41(3):392-401.
[7]Li Jiawei, Zhang Baige, Chen Xiao, et al. The effect of hydrogen rich water on vegetable seed germination and seedling growth [J] Yangtze River Vegetables, 2022 (8): 10-14. DOI: 10.3865 /j.issn.1001-3547.2022.08.004.
[8] Rubo. The effect of hydrogen rich water on the growth and quality of lettuce seedlings [J]. Horticulture and Seedlings, 2023,43 (5): 43-46 DOI: 10.16530 /j.cnki. cn21-1574 /s.2023.05.015.

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