Background: Conventional ammonia production methods, notably the
energy-intensive Haber–Bosch process, are costly and contribute substantially to
about 2% of the world’s CO emissions. This study focuses on the biological
approach to convert protein to ammonia via hyper-ammonia-producing bacteria (HAB)
fermentation. Methods: A consortium of ruminal microbes was employed in this work
to ferment soybean meal protein under varying processing conditions. The
parameters investigated included pH (7–11), inoculum concentrations (1–10%),
substrate concentrations (5–20%), and fermentation time (0–168 h). Results:
Optimal conditions for microbial growth and biological ammonia production were
observed at pH 7, fermentation duration of 72 h, inoculum concentration of 10%,
and substrate concentration of 10%. ~8000 mg/L biological
ammonia was produced following HAB fermentation. Conclusions: By leveraging the
capabilities of rumen HAB, this study contributes to the ongoing efforts to
develop environmentally friendly processes for ammonia production that will
mitigate both economic and environmental concerns associated with traditional
methods.