Biological nitrogen fixation and Haber-Bosch break the same N2 triple bond, and neither one dodges the energy bill. Haber-Bosch pays in heat, compression and hydrogen: about 400 to 500 degrees Celsius and 15 to 25 MPa over an iron catalyst. Bacteria pay in ATP, low potential electrons and protein motion, at least 16 ATP for every N2 they reduce. Nobody beats thermodynamics here. One route spends its energy everywhere at once, and the other spends it one electron at a time. Why this comparison keeps coming up Nitrogen is everywhere, and almost none of it is usable. About 78 percent of the air is N2, and plants cannot open that…