Iron oxide reactions in the soil help synthesize inorganic phosphorus for plants Researchers found that iron oxides in soil catalyze reactions that produce phosphorus, an essential nutrient for ...

Conventional wisdom has long held that iron oxides merely trap phosphorus in the environment. Yet new research has uncovered a more dynamic role for these minerals in driving the conversion of organic ...

Northwestern University researchers are challenging the long-held belief that iron oxides simply trap phosphorus, revealing instead that they actively help convert it into a form plants can use.

Northwestern University researchers are actively overturning the conventional view of iron oxides as mere phosphorus "sinks." A critical nutrient for life, most phosphorus in the soil is organic - ...

Northwestern University researchers are actively overturning the conventional view of iron oxides as mere phosphorus "sinks." A critical nutrient for life, most phosphorus in the soil is organic—from ...

Iron oxides act as natural catalysts to unlock phosphorus to fuel plant growth New study finds minerals drive phosphorus release at enzyme-like rates Date: March 4, 2025 Source: Northwestern ...

Iron oxides, traditionally seen as phosphorus "sinks," are now recognized as efficient natural catalysts that convert organic phosphorus into its inorganic form, essential for plant growth.

Most phosphorus in the environment is in an organic form that plants cannot directly use, and traditional understanding suggested only enzymes could convert it into the bioavailable inorganic form.

Northwestern University researchers are actively overturning the conventional view of iron oxides as mere phosphorus “sinks.” A critical nutrient for life, most phosphorus in the soil is ...

Northwestern University researchers are actively overturning the conventional view of iron oxides as mere phosphorus "sinks." A critical nutrient for life, most phosphorus in the soil is organic ...

The process is economical as the microwave selectively interacts with iron oxides or carbon mix, leaving out other impurities (like silica, alumina, phosphorus oxides) while also rapidly heating the ...