Manganese helps reduce agricultural nitrogen pollution in air, water

Nitrogen pollution is a serious concern for the agriculture industry. Agricultural fertilizers contain nitrogen, an essential nutrient for plant health. However, these fertilizers also produce nitrogen runoff, which occurs when excess nitrogen seeps into the surrounding environment, like waterways. This causes toxic algal blooms, which disrupt aquatic ecosystems and pollute drinking water. Further, nitrogen from agricultural processes can pollute the air in the form of nitrous oxide (N2O), a greenhouse gas 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide.