PHOSPHORUSCYCLE

NITROGENCYCLE
Why Study Biogeochemistry of Pollutants:
The study of pollutant biogeochemistry holds immense significance in our world
today. It is not merely an academic pursuit but a critical endeavor for several
reasons:

Environmental Health:
Understanding how pollutants interact with natural systems is crucial for
safeguarding the health of our ecosystems, including air, water, and soil.

Human Well-being:
Pollution, in its various forms, directly affects human health. By comprehending
pollutant behavior, we can better protect our communities and ourselves.

Sustainability:
As we strive for a more sustainable future, addressing pollution and its effects is
paramount. Biogeochemistry plays a pivotal role in sustainable environmental
management.

Innovation:
Advances in pollutant biogeochemistry can lead to innovative solutions for
pollution control, remediation, and sustainable resource management.
Objectives of This Course
Throughout this presentation, we aim to achieve the following objectives:

❑ Provide a comprehensive understanding of what pollutants are and where they

come from.
❑ Explore the biogeochemical cycling of pollutants in various environmental
compartments.
❑ Examine the pathways through which pollutants enter and interact with the
environment.
❑ Discuss the environmental factors influencing pollutant behavior.
❑ Investigate the biogeochemistry of different types of pollutants, including air,
water, and soil contaminants.
❑ Evaluate the ecological and human health implications of pollutant
biogeochemistry.
❑ Highlight monitoring, analysis, mitigation, and remediation strategies.
❑ Identify research opportunities and gaps in the field.
The term biogeochemical tells us that Biological,
Geological & Chemical factors are involved.
In earth science, a biogeochemical cycle is a pathway by
which a chemical substances moves through both
Biotic(Biosphere) & Abiotic(Lithosphere, Atmosphere &
Hydrosphere) compartments of earth.
A cycle is a series of change which comes back to the
starting point & which can be repeated.
 – “ More or less circular pathways,
through which the chemical elements, including all
the essential elements of the protoplasm, circulate
in the biosphere from environment to organisms
and back to the environment, are known as the
Biogeochemical cycle”.
Biogeochemical cycles always involve Hot equilibrium
states: A balance in the cycling of the elements between
compartments.
As biogeochemical cycles describe the movements of
substances on the entire globe, the study of these is
inherently multidisciplinary.
 : required in relatively large amounts
“Big six": Carbon , Hydrogen , Oxygen , Nitrogen,
Phosphorous.
other Macronutrients:
Sulfur, Potassium , Calcium , Iron , Magnesium

: required in very small amounts, (but still

necessary)
Boron
Copper
Molybdenum
 Biogeochemical cycles can be classed as;
❖ GASEOUS CYCLE – The term gaseous cycle refers to the
transformation of gases between various biogeochemical
reservoirs; Hydrosphere, Atmosphere & Biosphere
Important gaseous cycles are;
a) NITROGEN CYCLE
b) OXYGEN CYCLE
c) CARBON CYCLE
d) WATER CYCLE

HYDROSPHERE ATMOSPHERE
 – Sedimentary cycles include the
leaching of minerals & salt’s from the earth’s crust, which the
settle as sediment or rock before the cycle repeats.
Sedimentary cycle includes;
a) PHOSPHORUS CYCLE
b) SULFUR CYCLE
c) IRON CYCLE
d) CALCIUM CYCLE
Sedimentary cycles vary from one elements to another, but each
cycle consist fundamentally of a solution phase & a sediment
phase.
LITHOSPHERE
The majority of earth’s atmosphere is Nitrogen(78%).
However, Atmospheric N2 has limited availability for
biological use, and this form is relatively nonreactive and
unusable by plants.
Nitrogen availability can affect the rate of key ecosystem
processes including primary production and
decomposition
The Nitrogen(N2) cycle is the process by which N2 is
converted between its various chemical forms.
This transformation can be carried out through both
biological & physical processes.
Nitrogen is present in the environment in a wide variety of
chemical forms including organic nitrogen,
Ammonium(NH 4 + ),Nitrite(NO 2-), Nitrate(NO 3_),
Nitrous oxide(N 2O ), Nitric oxide ( NO ) or Inorganic
nitrogen gas.
Organic nitrogen may be in the form of a living organism,
humus or in the intermediate products of organic matter
decomposition.
The process of N2-cycle transform nitrogen from one form
to another. Many of those processes are carried by microbes.
Nitrogen Fixation(N2 to NH3/NH4+ or No3 -)

Nitrification (NH3 to No3-)

Assimilation (Incorporation of NH3 &

No3- into biological tissues)

Ammonification ( organic N2 compounds

to NH3)

Denitrification(No3- to N2)
The conversion of ammonia to nitrate is performed primarily by soil
living bacteria & other nitrifying bacteria.
In the primary stage of nitrification the oxidation of ammonium is
performed by bacteria such as the Nitrosomonas species, which
convert ammonia to nitrites.
Other bacterial species such as Nitrobacter are responsible for the
oxidation of the nitrite into nitrates.
It is important for the ammonia to be converted to nitrates or nitrites
because ammonia gas is toxic to plants.

AMMONIUM O2 NITRATE
NH4+ NO3-
NITRITE O2
NO2-
Plant take nitrogen from soil by
absorption through their roots as
Amino acids, Nitrate ions, Nitrite
ions, or Ammonium ions.
Plants can absorb nitrate or ammonium
from the soil via their root hairs. If
nitrate is absorbed, it is first reduced to
nitrite ions and then ammonium ions
for incorporated into amino acids,
nucleic acids & chlorophylls.
In plants that have a symbiotic
relationship with Rhizobia, some N2 is
assimilated in the form of ammonium
ions directly from the nodules.
When a plant or animal dies or an
animal expels waste, the initial forms
of N2 is organic.
Bacteria or fungi convert the organic
N2 within the remains back into
ammonium, a process is called
Ammonification or Mineralization
Enzymes are involved are;
GS : Gln synthetase
GOGAT : Glu-2- oxoglutarate
GDH : Glu-dehydrogenase
Denitrification is the reduction of nitrates
back into the largely inert N2 gas, completing
the N2-cycle.
This process is performed by bacterial species
such as Pseudomonas & Clostridium in
anaerobic conditions.
They use the nitrate as an electron accepter in
the place of oxygen during respiration.
Denitrification happens in anaerobic
conditions eg. Waterlogged soils.
 Nitrogen (N2) in atmosphere

Assimilation
by plants

Denitrifying
bacteria Detritus

Nitrates
(NO3-)
Detritivores

Nitrifying Decomposition
Bacteria

Ammonium(NH4 +)
Nitrogen is necessary for all known forms of life on earth.
It is a component in all amino acids as it is incorporated
into proteins and is present in the bases that make up
nucleic acids such as RNA &DNA.
Chemical processing or natural fixation are necessary to
convert gaseous nitrogen into compounds, such as nitrate
or ammonia which can be used by plants.
 Nitrogen is important to the chemical
industry, It is used to make Fertilizers,
Nitric acid, Nylon, Dyes & Explosives.
Nitrogen is present in virtually all
pharmacological drugs & In the form of
nitrous oxide it is used as anesthetic.
The CPUs in computers use the N2-gas to
keep them from heating up. X-ray
detectors also rely on this element.
Cryopreservation also uses N2-gas to
conserve blood & other biological
specimen.
The element is used in controlling
pollution, many industries use it to destroy
toxic liquids and vapors in industrial tools.
The phosphorus cycle is the slowest Biogeochemical cycle
that describes the movements of phosphorus(P) through the
Lithosphere, Hydrosphere & Biosphere.
Unlike many other biogeochemical cycles, the atmosphere dose
not play a significant role in the movement of P because
phosphorus and P based compounds are usually solids at the
typical ranges of temperature & pressure found on earth.
Low conc. of P in soils reduces plant growth & slows soil
microbial growth.
Unlike other cycles P cannot be found in the air as a gas, it only
occurs under highly reducing conditions as the gas Phosphine.
Initially , phosphate weathers from rocks and minerals, the
most common mineral being Apatite .
Overall small losses occurs in terrestrial environment by
leaching erosion, through the action of rain.
Weathering of rocks & minerals release phosphorus in a soluble
form , where it is taken up by plants & it is transformed into
organic compounds.
The plants may then be consumed by herbivores and the
phosphorus is either incorporated into their tissues or excreted.
After death of animal or plant decays then phosphorus is
returned to the soil where a large part of the P is transformed
into insoluble compounds.
Runoff may carry a small part of the P back to the ocean.
Phosphate is released by the erosion of
rocks.

Plants and fungi take up the phosphate

with their roots.

Phosphorus moves from producers to

consumers via food chain.

Phosphorus may seep into groundwater

from soil over time forming into rock.

When these rock erode, the cycle begins

again.
 Phosphates
in organic
Weathering of
rock compounds
Phosphates in
rock Animals
Runoff Plants

Detritus
Phosphates in Phosphates in
solution soil (inorganic)

Precipitated (solid) Decomposition Detritivores in

Rock
phosphates soil
P is an important nutrient for plants
and animals, P is also limiting nutrient
for aquatic organisms.
P does not enter the atmosphere,
remaining mostly on land, in rock &
soil minerals.
80% of the mined P is used to make
fertilizers. P from fertilizers, sewage
can cause pollution in lakes & streams.
P normally occurs in nature as part of a
phosphate ion (PO4)3-, The most FERTILIZER
abundant forms is Orthophosphate
The primary biological importance of
Phosphates is as a component of nucleotides,
which serves as energy storage within cells
(ATP) or when linked together form the
nucleic acids DNA & RNA.
The double helix of two strands of DNA is
only possible because of phosphate ester DNA STRANDS
bridge that binds the helix.
Besides making biomoleculs, P is also found
in bone & enamel of mammalian teeth, whose
strength is derived from calcium phosphate in
the form of Hydroxyl apatite.
It is also found in the exoskeloton of insects &
phospholipids.
BONES
Phosphorus catches fire readily, Red
phosphorus is used in all matches.
White phosphorus and zinc
phosphate are mainly used as a
poison for rats.
It is used in making incendiary (fire
causing) bombs, tracer bullets and
for producing smoke screen.
Many soluble phosphates are used
to remove unwanted metal salts
from the water.
TRACER BULLETS
Biogeochemical cycles are important because they
regulate the elements necessary for life on earth by
cycling them through the biological & physical aspects
of world.
Biogeochemical cycles are a form of natural recycling
that allows the continuous survival of ecosystem.
Ecology and Environment –P. D. SHARMA
Biogeochemical cycle –Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia.
E.P. Odum - Basic ecology