Question

What is the difference between nitrification and denitrification?

Answer 1

Nitrogen cycle:

1. The nitrogen cycle is a biogeochemical process in which nitrogen is transformed into various forms before traveling from the atmosphere to the soil to the organism and back into the atmosphere.
2. The nitrogen cycle includes numerous processes like nitrogen fixation, nitrification, denitrification, degradation, and putrefaction.

Nitrification:

The oxidation process of ammonia to nitrite and then to nitrate is known as nitrification.

Denitrification:

The process by which nitrate reduces to nitrogen is called denitrification.

Nitrification	Denitrification
The oxidation process of ammonia to nitrite and then to nitrate is known as nitrification.	The process by which nitrate reduces to nitrogen is called denitrification.
Bacteria such as Nitrosomonas and Nitrococcus oxidize ammonia to nitrite, and nitrite is oxidized to nitrate by Nitrobacter.	Pseudomonas and Thiobacillus reduce nitrate to nitrogen.
Aerobic respiration	Anaerobic respiration
Autotrophic mode of nutrition.	The mode of nutrition is heterotrophic.
The by-product is Nitrate NO3–	The by-product is Nitrogen N.
The minimum temperature required for this process is between 16° and 35°C.	The minimum temperature required is 26°-38°C.
The optimum pH is between 6 and 8.	The optimum pH is between 6 and 8.