Protecting Urban Water Sources

Protecting Our Urban Water Sources: Developing a Solar
Energy-Activated Nitrate Reduction Catalyst

Associate Professor Linda Doerrer from the Department of Chemistry with Ph.D. candidate Jessica Elinburg were awarded an IOC Early Stage Urban Research Award to advance their vision of creating a sunlight-activated nitrate reduction electrocatalyst for urban water purification.

Doerrer and her lab will evaluate the Charles River and its watersheds in the Greater Boston area to determine levels of nitrate. Nitrate-enriched rivers, lakes, and ponds fertilize the rapid growth of cyanobacteria, leading to harmful algal blooms (HABs) and ultimately, biological dead zones. Nitrate contamination can also render drinking water supplies unpotable, cutting off public access to clean water. In the past, an HAB in Lake Erie resulted in the suspension of drinking water to half a million Ohio residents in 2014. Similarly, Lake Tai in China experienced a severe HAB in 2007, depriving 10 million residents of potable water. Toxins released by the cyanobacteria can also cause rashes, respiratory issues, and neurological damage.

In Boston, HABs have persistently affected the Charles River and the residents and flora and fauna that depend on it and its watersheds. Doerrer and her team will test their invention–capable of electrocatalytically reducing nitrate in water–in the Charles River to evaluate its ability to clean urban waterways.