Chinese researchers have created a highly efficient catalyst that converts nitrate pollution from wastewater into ammonia, a key component for fertilizer. This breakthrough promises a low-energy waste-to-resource technology.

A team in China has designed a catalyst that can transform nitrate pollution from agricultural and industrial waste water into ammonia – the chemical backbone of urea fertiliser – with nearly three times the efficiency of conventional catalysts. The study detailing this breakthrough was published on March 18 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, where it was showcased on the front cover. It has opened the door to a low-energy waste-to-resource technology that could one day strengthen....