Learning from 100 years of ammonia synthesis establishing human-defined limits through adaptive
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2013
Abstract
100 years ago, the development of the Haber-Bosch process for synthesizing ammonia gave humans the ability to fix nitrogen on an industrial scale and freed societies from constraints associated with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. This innovation facilitated increases in the productivity of agricultural land and in the production of explo sives; however, it also resulted in significantly more chemically active nitrogen being placed in circulation. Today, flows of nitro gen through human and natural systems are intimately intertwined. The response to concerns associated with too much nitrogen in circulation suggests that societies are gradually learning to replace bacteria-based limits with human-defined limits. An important part of this effort includes developing processes for producing knowledge essential to that task.©2013 licensee oekom verlag.
Publication Title
GAIA
Recommended Citation
Gorman, H.
(2013).
Learning from 100 years of ammonia synthesis establishing human-defined limits through adaptive.
GAIA,
22(4), 263-270.
http://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.22.4.11
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/michigantech-p/13410