Air purification: Plant hemoglobin proteins help arabidopsis thaliana plants fix atmospheric nitric oxide
Monday, June 13, 2016 - 10:31
in Physics & Chemistry
Nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions are mainly caused by combustion processes in industrial facilities and engines. In humans, the gaseous pollutants particularly irritate the mucous membranes in the respiratory organs and eyes. Until now it was assumed that plants cannot absorb atmospheric NO. Now, researchers have discovered the underlying mechanism that Arabidopsis thaliana plants use to draw NO directly from the air, which they subsequently fix into their nitrogen metabolism.