Iron complex breaks down stubborn pollutant using light-powered reaction

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Add as preferred source Credit: Victor Moragriega from Pexels The molecular culprit behind harmful algal blooms and some groundwater contamination is the same thing that has kept civilization fed for millennia: a stable form of nitrogen called nitrate.

Nitrates are necessary components of fertilizer, but because they are so stable, the molecules are difficult to reduce and remove from the environment. Now, University of Michigan researchers have developed a method that can reduce nitrates into compounds that could be reused as fertilizer or otherwise recycled.

The study, led by U-M chemist Nathaniel Szymczak, is published in Nature Chemistry .