Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have developed a new catalyst that can destroy perchlorate — a harmful industrial pollutant found in rocket propellant, explosives, and fireworks — at neutral pH and room temperature, making it practical for drinking water treatment systems.
The breakthrough, published in the journal ACS Central Science, uses nanoparticles of the metal ruthenium enhanced with an organic nitrogen-containing compound known as cis-DACH. Together, they rapidly convert perchlorate into harmless chloride — the same ion found naturally in table salt — at room temperature and under normal atmospheric pressure.
Perchlorate contamination is a widespread problem, particularly near military installations, defense manufacturing sites, and other industrial locations throughout the United States. The chemical interferes with the thyroid gland's ability to absorb iodine, disrupting hormones that regulate growth, metabolism, and brain development. Infants, young children, and pregnant women are especially vulnerable.
Current water treatment systems use ion-exchange resin beads to remove perchlorate effectively, but the process leaves behind beads loaded with the contaminant that must be disposed of as hazardous waste or regenerated — an increasingly complicated problem as the beads also accumulate PFAS "forever chemicals."
"This gives us a complete toolbox," said Jinyong Liu, UCR associate professor of chemical and environmental engineering, who oversaw the research. "We now have catalyst systems that work under acidic, alkaline, and neutral conditions, allowing us to address a much wider range of real-world water treatment applications."
Unlike earlier catalysts, the new system also remains effective in water containing nitrate, another common groundwater contaminant. Previous catalysts could be deactivated by nitrate, often requiring separate treatment steps. The new catalyst removes nitrate first and then continues breaking down perchlorate, simplifying the cleanup process.
The advance comes as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency moves toward establishing the first national drinking water standard for perchlorate, following California's lead which set a maximum contamination level of 6 parts per billion nearly two decades ago. Liu's laboratory has also developed technologies to destroy PFAS, and he noted the new ruthenium catalyst complements that work by addressing multiple persistent contaminants often removed by the same treatment systems.
