denitrification

[ dee-nahy-truh-fi-key-shuhn ]

noun

, Chemistry, Biology.

1. the bacterial or other microbial process in which nitrates and nitrites are reduced or removed from soil, water, or air by their conversion into nitrogenous gases: This process is environmentally significant, as in the treatment of wastewater, which depends on denitrification to eliminate toxic levels of nitrogen, making the water safe for plants and animals:

   We’re observing the nitrogen activity in salt marsh soil, with a particular interest in the last step of the nitrogen cycle—that is, denitrification.

Word History and Origins

Origin of denitrification¹

First recorded in 1880–85; de- + nitrification

Example Sentences

Nitrogen isotopes preserved within fossil foraminifera enabled the scientists to track past changes in column denitrification in the water.

From Science Daily

The model results reveal intricate feedback mechanisms involving changes in the nitrogen and phosphorus content of phytoplankton, oceanic oxygen levels, N2 fixation by nitrogen-fixing phytoplankton, and denitrification.

From Science Daily

It's difficult to say how large an impact trawling has on denitrification and water quality.

From Science Magazine

This gas is the end-product of a process, called denitrification, in which microbes in the top few centimeters of sediment decompose nitrogen-rich organic matter.

From Science Magazine

Eyre thinks trawling might have a relatively greater impact on denitrification in deeper waters where animal burrows are more stable.

From Science Magazine