Expanding photosynthesis through biosolar oxic N₂ fixation: toward a sustainable BioNitrogen Economy.

Authors

Taufiq Nawaz, Liping Gu, James Young, Shah Fahad, Nick Klein, Rajesh Sani, Ruanbao Zhou

Published in

Bioresource technology. Pages 136096. Oct 19, 2026. Epub Oct 19, 2026.

Abstract

Atmospheric dinitrogen (N₂) is far more abundant than carbon dioxide (CO₂), yet photosynthesis has been studied and harnessed predominantly for photosynthetic carbon fixation (PCF), underpinning the global biocarbon economy. In contrast, biological N₂ fixation-the natural gateway for atmospheric nitrogen into the biosphere-remains comparatively underexploited. Modern agriculture and industry consequently depend heavily on the fossil-fuel-intensive Haber-Bosch process, with substantial energy and environmental costs. Diazotrophic cyanobacteria offer a fundamentally different paradigm by coupling oxygenic photosynthesis to nitrogenase-mediated N₂ fixation. We term this process photosynthetic nitrogen fixation (PNF), which uses solar energy to convert water and atmospheric N₂ into bioavailable nitrogen. Beyond its ecological significance, PNF expands the functional scope of photosynthesis beyond carbon fixation and provides a biological foundation for sustainable nitrogen production, biofertilization, and N₂-based biosolar manufacturing. Recent advances in cyanobacterial physiology, ecology, evolution, synthetic biology, and AI-enabled multi-omics are accelerating efforts to harness this potential. This review examines the diversity of diazotrophic cyanobacteria, their strategies for protecting oxygen-sensitive nitrogenase, and emerging approaches for genetic engineering cyanobacteria as programmable platforms for nitrogen production and crop-associated nitrogen delivery. We further propose a roadmap toward a solar-powered BioNitrogen Economy encompassing bioprospecting, synthetic biology, genomic engineering, crop integration, and scalable agricultural and industrial deployment. By expanding photosynthesis from carbon fixation to the solar-powered capture of both carbon and atmospheric nitrogen, PNF could help drive the transition from a fossil-fuel-dependent chemo-nitrogen economy toward a sustainable BioNitrogen Civilization.

PMID:
42896677
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 20 Oct 2026.

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