Question

HELPPPPPP! Nitrogen-based fertilizers break down into nitrates. When the nitrates enter the substrate, they are converted into nitrogen gas through which process?

Answer 1

When soil bacteria uses nitrates for energy they release gas in a process known as denitrification.

Answer 2

The right answer is Denitrification.

Denitrification is a microbial process of alternative respiration. This biological phenomenon is operated by specific bacteria, satisfying their need for oxygen in hypoxic or anoxic soil, by a deoxygenation of nitrate ions. This phenomenon occurs in the soil, but not exclusively: it is also at work in certain sediments, in aquifers (to a certain extent and under certain conditions), in decaying organic matter (eg dead wood), or in the digestive system.