| 12.01.2010 09:03 |    |
An inaugural lecture by Jan Willem Erisman, ECN’s Biomass, Coal and Environmental Research unit manager when accepting the post of extraordinary professor of Integral Nitrogen Issues at VU University, Amsterdam on Friday 15 January.
Nitrogen occurs naturally in a non-reactive form in nature and makes up almost 80% of the earth’s atmosphere. However, life on Earth needs nitrogen in a reactive form in order to produce amino acids, protein and the structure of DNA. At the start of the 20th century, Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch were pioneers who paved the way for the modern industrial production of ammonia and artificial fertilisers. Nowadays, 50% of all our food production is dependent on the availability of artificial fertilisers. These are the words of Jan Willem Erisman in his inaugural lecture Fertilising the air: Nitrogen and the problems of food production, energy and the environment.
In practice, artificial fertiliser is very inefficient (less than 50%) and large quantities of reactive nitrogen escape directly into the environment. This also occurs during the combustion of fossil fuels when nitrogen oxides are formed which are spread across large areas through the air. The release of nitrogen into the environment has major negative impacts on air, water and soil quality which in turn affect ecosystems and human health. It also has a significant influence on the climate because of its interaction with the carbon cycle and the radiation balance. As a result of air transport and deposit of nitrogen in forests, more carbon is absorbed. If large amounts of nitrogen are involved, this can lead to the release of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, threatening biodiversity and groundwater quality, according to Erisman.
Nitrogen management can have a beneficial impact on the climate and the environment. However, knowledge in this area is limited. The aim of the professorship in Integrated Nitrogen Issues is to conduct further research into these areas leading to the development of new policy and nitrogen management measures to limit the impact on the environment and on the climate whilst still ensuring adequate supplies of food and energy. In his lecture, Erisman will take a closer look at the issues relating to food production, energy and the environment and the research that will be required in this area in the coming years.
The pdf of the inaugural lectuce can be found here.
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