Molecules in the air consist of 78 per cent nitrogen. During a lightning storm, the energy of a lightning bolt breaks apart nitrogen molecules, allowing them to form nitrogen oxides. These dissolve in rainwater as nitrates, which fall to the ground with the rain and add nitrogen to soil.
Over a decade ago, Joe Lewis, an engineer from Florida, discovered what he calls “Green Lightning nitrogen” as a byproduct while working on hydrogen engines, says Chris Nykolaishen of Nytro, a distributor for Green Lightning, in this interview from the Western Canadian Crop Production Show at Saskatoon, SK.
Green Lightning technology makes use of the nitrates created in the same way as lightning storms, putting it into a form that can be used on crops.
After spending time refining Green Lightning, Nykolaishen says Lewis teamed up with Travis Potter to commercialize a machine that can essentially create a lightning storm in a garage to create nitrogen for crops, using electricity, high quality water, and air.
When it comes to the amount of electricity needed to produce Green Lightning, the machine doesn’t use more than a toaster, he says.
The Green Lightning machine on the market today can produce approximately 30,000 pounds of nitrogen and can pay for itself within a year in a lot of cases, says Nykolaishen.
Related:
Wheat Pete’s Word, Jan 8: Cool technologies, top 10 of 2024, and herbicide residue risks
Does Lightning Actually Help a Crop Green Up?
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