Genomes of Thaumarchaeota from deep sea sediments reveal specific adaptations of three independently evolved lineages

Marine sediments represent a vast habitat for complex microbiomes. Among these, ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) of the phylum Thaumarchaeota are one of the most common, yet little explored, inhabitants, which seem extraordinarily well adapted to the harsh conditions of the subsurface biosphere. We present 11 metagenome-assembled genomes of the most abundant AOA clades from sediment cores obtained from the Atlantic Mid-Ocean ridge flanks and Pacific abyssal plains. Their phylogenomic placement reveals three independently evolved clades within the order Nitrosopumilales, of which no cultured representative is known yet. In addition to the gene sets for ammonia oxidation and carbon fixation known from other AOA, all genomes encode an extended capacity for the conversion of fermentation products that can be channeled into the central carbon metabolism, as well as uptake of amino acids probably for protein maintenance or as an ammonia source. Two lineages encode an additional (V-type) ATPase and a large repertoire of DNA repair systems that may allow to overcome the challenges of high hydrostatic pressure. We suggest that the adaptive radiation of AOA into marine sediments occurred more than once in evolution and resulted in three distinct lineages with particular adaptations to this extremely energy-limiting and high-pressure environment.

Industrial Wastewater As an Enabler of Green Ammonia to Power via Gas Turbine Technology

This experimental study follows on from detailed Chemkin-Pro numerical analyses assessing the viability of by-product ammonia (NH3) utilization for power generation in gas turbines (GTs). This study looks specifically at NH3 in the industrial wastewaters of steelworks, resulting from the cleansing of coke oven gas (COG). The by-product NH3 is present in an aqueous blend of 60–70%vol water and is normally destroyed. An experimental campaign was conducted using a premixed swirl burner in a model GT combustor, previously employed in the successful combustion of NH3/hydrogen blends, with favorable NOx and unburned fuel emissions. This study experimentally investigates the combustion performance of combining anhydrous and aqueous by-product NH3 in an approximate 50:50%vol blend, comparing the performance with that of each ammonia source unblended. Green anhydrous NH3, a rapidly growing research topic, is a carbon-free energy vector for renewable hydrogen. Some potential benefits of combining the two sources are suggested. Ammonia combustion presents two major challenges, poor reactivity and a potential for excessive NOx emissions. Prior numerical analyses predicted that 15%vol addition of steelworks COG, at an inlet temperature of 550 K, may provide sufficient support for raising the reactivity of the NH3-based fuels, whilst limiting undesirable emissions. Therefore, addition of 10, 15 and 20%vol COG to each NH3-based fuel was investigated experimentally at 25 kW power with inlet temperatures > 500 K, at atmospheric pressure. As nitric oxide (NO) emissions decrease significantly with increasing fuel-to-air ratio, experiments were conducted at equivalence ratios (Φ) between 1.0 and 1.3, the precise range of Φ for each blend being optimized according to the modeling predictions for emissions. Leading blends, anhydrous NH3 with 15%vol COG and the 50:50%vol blend with 15%vol COG, achieved < 100 ppm and < 200 ppm NO respectively. Modest-sized steel plants produce ∼10 metric tons of by-product NH3/day. Aspen Plus was used to model a Brayton-Rankine cycle with integrated recuperation. Adopting typical losses (48% cycle efficiency) and ∼1.2 MPa combustor inlet pressure, the net electrical power generation of 15%vol COG blended with 10 tonnes/day of aqueous industrial NH3 and 25 tonnes/day of anhydrous NH3 (i.e. achieving a 50:50%vol blend) was ∼4.7 MW, ∼47% more power than for the same amount of anhydrous NH3 with 15%vol COG. This significant increase, indicates how industrial NH3 could enable green NH3 to power.

Genomes of Thaumarchaeota from deep sea sediments reveal specific adaptations of three independently evolved lineages

Marine sediments represent a vast habitat for complex microbiomes. Among these, ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) of the phylum Thaumarchaeota are one of the most common, yet little explored inhabitants, that seem extraordinarily well adapted to the harsh conditions of the subsurface biosphere. We present 11 metagenome-assembled genomes of the most abundant AOA clades from sediment cores obtained from the Atlantic Mid-Ocean ridge flanks and Pacific abyssal plains. Their phylogenomic placement reveals three independently evolved clades within the order Ca. Nitrosopumilales, of which no cultured representative is known yet. In addition to the gene sets for ammonia oxidation and carbon fixation known from other AOA, all genomes encode an extended capacity for the conversion of fermentation products that can be channeled into the central carbon metabolism, as well as uptake of amino acids probably for protein maintenance or as an ammonia source. Two lineages encode an additional (V-type) ATPase and a large repertoire of gene repair systems that may allow to overcome challenges of high hydrostatic pressure. We suggest that the adaptive radiation of AOA into marine sediments occurred more than once in evolution and resulted in three distinct lineages with particular adaptations to this extremely energy limiting and high-pressure environment.

A Straightforward Synthesis of N-Substituted Ureas from Primary Amides

A direct and convenient method for the preparation of N-substituted ureas is achieved by treating primary amides with phenyliodine diacetate (PIDA) in the presence of an ammonia source (NH3 or ammonium carbamate) in MeOH. The use of 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE) as the solvent increases the electrophilicity of the hypervalent iodine species and allows the synthesis of electron-poor carboxamides. This transformation involves a nucleophilic addition of ammonia on the isocyanate intermediate generated in situ by a Hofmann rearrangement of the starting amide.

Continuous amination of aryl/heteroaryl halides using aqueous ammonia in a Teflon AF-2400 tube-in-tube micro-flow reactor

Aqueous ammonia was applied as the ammonia source in the continuous amination of aromatic and heteroaromatic halides assisted by a Teflon AF-2400 tube-in-tube reactor to generate densely substituted aryl/heteroaryl amines in high yields.

Preparation, Structure and Thermolysis Characteristics of Ammonia Borane

Ammonia borane (NH3BH3, AB) is an excellent source of hydrogen(19.6 wt %) for fuel cell applications. In this paper, pure ammonia borane is successfully prepared by using amino complex for ammonia complex Ag(NH3)2Cl as new ammonia source, and sodium borohydride (NaBH4) as boron source. The composition and constitution of the products are measured by XRD and FT-IR. The thermolysis of ammonia borane is significant for its practical application. Boric acid plays a role in improving ammonia borane hydrogen performance. The effects of different mass ratio of boric acid and ammonia borane on dehydrogenation are tested by XRD, TG/DTA and TPD-MS. The results show that boric acid can decrease the first level dehydrogenation temperature of ammonia borane decrease to about 85°C (working temperature of PEMFC). What’s more, the onset temperature of AB’s thermolysis can decrease to about 60°C when the mass ratio of ammonia borane and boric acid is equal to 3:1. This makes ammonia borane be more suitable for the application in on-board hydrogen storage system.