Nitrification
During nitrification, ammonia is converted to nitrate in the presence of oxygen (oxidation) in a two-step process: First, nirosomonas break down ammonia (NH4+) into nitrite (NO2-), which is then further broken down to nitrate (NO3-) by Nitrobacter.
| Organism | Reaction equation |
|---|---|
| Nitrosomonas | NH4+ + 1.5 O2 ➔ NO2- + H2O + 2 H+ |
| Nitrobacter | NO2- + 0.5 O2 ➔ NO3- |
| Overall | NH4+ + 2 O2 ➔ NO3- + H2O + 2 H+ |