A simple catalyst will purify polluted water on Earth and soil on Mars

Perchlorates (consisting of one chlorine atom and four oxygen atoms) are powerful oxidizing agents. More often

In total they are used in rocket fuel, as well asin fireworks and torches. They also appear as a byproduct of cleaning chemicals and weed killers. This is why pollutants often end up in soil and water. In large quantities, perchlorates cause thyroid disease and other health problems.

But the problem with perchlorates is not onlyon Earth - they were found in the soil on Mars, which would make it difficult for future colonizers to organize agriculture. Contaminants can now be removed through several processes, but they are costly and time consuming. And this is without problems with delivery to the Red Planet.

As part of the new study, scientists fromThe University of California at Riverside has found an easy way to reduce the perchlorate content of water in one go and without the use of high temperatures or pressures. The process catalyst consists of three fairly common ingredients: a fertilizer known as sodium molybdate, an organic ligand called bipyridine, and palladium. Using a small amount of hydrogen gas, the three ingredients work together to quickly and almost completely destroy the perchlorate.

The catalyst is more active than its counterparts and converts more than 99.99% of perchlorate into chloride, regardless of the initial concentration of the pollutant, scientists say.

It is noted that the new catalyst performs well over a wide range of possible pollutant concentrations - from less than 1 mg per liter to 10 g per liter.

Read more

It's cool: how smart clothes work Under Armor Iso-Chill and what does titanium dioxide have to do with it

Physicists have recreated the first substance that appeared after the Big Bang

Tiny hydrogen engine replaces fossil fuel counterparts

In biochemistry and pharmacology, a ligand is a chemicala compound that forms a complex with a particular biomolecule and produces, due to such binding, certain biochemical, physiological or pharmacological effects.