Abstract
Due to the prevalence of nitrogen (N2) in the air, it is critical for the efficient functioning of living creatures (plants and animals). Although naturally occurring N2 is inert, the N2 fixation process converts it to reactive species (i.e., ammonia, nitrate, nitrites, nitric acid, fertilizer, and so on) . The transformation of atmospheric N2 to reactive species has immensely contributed to the agricultural and energy industries, however, it has also affected our environment.
One of the notable contributions of reactive N-species is in the agricultural domain via the consequential discovery of the Haber-Bosch (H–B) ammonia production process. Before this discovery, the availability of fixed nitrogen was very scarce which limited the global production of food needed for survival. At the dawn of the 20th century, the development of the H–B process, which allows large-scale ammonia production, is unarguably regarded as one of the best industrial discoveries that effectively accelerated the nitrogen cycle and enabled humankind to nobly increase global food production.
