Paderborn researchers develop innovative method against laughing gas!

Paderborn researchers develop innovative method against laughing gas!

On October 6, 2025, a team led by Prof. Dr. Jan Paradies from the University of Paderborn groundbreaking advances in reducing greenhouse gases. They have developed new approaches to decompose nitrous oxide (N₂O), which is considered one of the most harmful substances for the ozone layer. This method is based on metal-free catalysis, which makes it possible to break down nitrous oxide into harmless components at low temperatures.

The results of this research were published in the prestigious Journal of the American Chemical Society. Nitrous oxide has a global warming potential 265 to 270 times higher than CO₂ and is responsible for around six percent of global warming. For a long time, this gas was used primarily in agriculture, industry and medicine, but the concentration of nitrous oxide in the atmosphere has increased by 20 percent since the Industrial Revolution.

The meaning of laughing gas

Like from the Helmholtz Association explains, human emissions of CO2 are primarily responsible for global warming, while nitrous oxide increases the greenhouse effect. It is formed as a by-product of the decomposition of biomass by microorganisms and has a close connection to the availability of nitrogen. In 2020, global production of artificial fertilizer was 123 million tons of nitrogen, almost ten times more than 60 years ago.

Agriculture is the largest source of man-made nitrous oxide. Since the 1980s, emissions in this sector have increased by more than 45 percent. Further emissions also arise in waters where reactive nitrogen releases nitrous oxide, particularly during algae blooms. In Europe, however, political measures to reduce fertilizer use have led to a slight reduction in nitrous oxide emissions. However, these values ​​are still too high to achieve the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.

Research needs and innovative approaches

The urgency of developing new mining methods for nitrous oxide cannot be underestimated due to its environmental impact. The team around Prof. Paradies, consisting of the doctoral students Rundong Zhou and Viktorija Medvaric as well as Prof. Dr. Thomas Werner, has taken a promising path with her research. The transfer of the oxygen atom from the nitrous oxide to the phosphorus atom of the catalyst is particularly efficient, and at the end of the reaction a harmless nitrogen remains that can be used as fertilizer in agriculture.

In addition, the newly discovered phosphine-oxygen compound can be returned to its original state through a reaction with silane. This catalysis process opens up numerous possibilities for the sustainable use of nitrous oxide and thus actively contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Given the ongoing challenges in the fight against climate change, any progress of this kind is of great importance.