Nitrogen (N) is an essential mineral element for plant development and is widely used in crop production. While synthetic nitrogen fertilizers significantly improve global crop yields, the use of nitrate-based nitrogen fertilizers bears the risk of nitrate leaching or nitrogen oxide emission. Since ammonium is less prone to leaching than nitrate and is energetically cheaper to produce, ammonium-based fertilizers are often used in agricultural crop production.
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Source: Phys.org