“A new reactor could turn wastewater into drinking water — while also generating one of the world’s most sought-after chemicals.

The new reactor, described Aug. 12 in the journal Nature Catalysis, produces ammonia gas from water contaminated with nitrate ions.

Ammonia (NH3) is an extremely important industrial chemical. It is one of the key components in fertilizers and also vital in chemical manufacturing processes…

Nitrate, on the other hand, pollutes rivers and streams when excess runoff from fertilized farmland enters local waterways. Nitrates devastate aquatic ecosystems, and at higher levels in drinking water can pose health risks. To be safe to drink, water must be thoroughly treated to remove nitrates.

Existing commercial treatments use bacteria to convert nitrate ions directly to nitrogen, but this procedure is expensive and also produces nitrous oxide, which, pound for pound, is 265 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

To avoid this climate impact, scientists are working on ways to convert nitrate into ammonia using electricity.”

From Live Science.