NH₃ is an important chemical fertilizer and expecting as H₂ carrier. Several methods have been investigated for eco-friendly NH₃ production under mild conditions instead of Haber-Bosch process using 400 °C, 20 MPa. Here, cyanobacterial Anabaena variabilis was utilized as a nitrogenase-producing biocatalyst that converts N₂/H₂O to NH₃ under ambient conditions. Biocatalytic reactions revealed that MV^•+ can penetrate cell membrane and transfer electrons generated in inorganic photocatalyst. We first reported photobiocatalytic NH₃ production of cyanobacteria and TiO₂. Comparing with natural system, NH₃ formation rate of the hybrid system increased 81.3 times with an initial rate of 2031.7 nmol·h⁻¹ and turnover number of 216.8.

Nuttavut Kosem*, Xiao-feng Shen, Yutaka Ohsaki, Motonori Watanabe, Jun Tae Song and Tatsumi Ishihara, Photobiocatalytic conversion of solar energy to NH₃ from N₂ and H₂O under ambient condition, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2023

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2023.123431