Nitrogen may enter directly into the watercourse either as nitrate or as ammonia from decomposing organic waste.
During the aerobic nitrification process where the water is well-oxygenated, the ammonia is converted to nitrite and then nitrate by Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter. The nitrate is then taken up by plants and algae as a food source.
During the anaerobic de-nitrification process where water is less oxygenated, other bacteria, in the right conditions, can convert nitrate back to harmless nitrogen gas.
LLMO removes toxic forms of nitrogen from the system by accelerating the nitrification and de-nitrification process as well as helping degrade dead organic matter.
