# South China University of Technology: Cu/eNMR reactor removes 90.5% of nitrate from deionized water

- Published: 2026-11-05 15:23 UTC
- Section: Planet › Ocean & water
- Tags: Cu/eNMR, electrochemical nickel membrane reactor, nitrate removal, electrochemical hydrogenation, low-conductivity water, nitrate-contaminated groundwater, solar-powered water treatment, South China University of Technology
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-7923d1312fe7fce689c76d8a_south_china_university/

**In tests with 50 mg/L NO3−-N, the copper-modified nickel membrane reactor reached 90.5% removal in 3 h at 5 mA/cm2; a conventional reactor with the same cathode removed 12.8%.**

![South China University of Technology: Cu/eNMR reactor removes 90.5% of nitrate from deionized water](https://sgzwpqqelzmajkcubgkl.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/rt-media/2026/11/6eb5da60c56da805.jpg)
*Panoramicus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0*

A team from South China University of Technology, the University of Hong Kong, the National University of Singapore and Qingdao University of Technology has described a copper-modified electrochemical nickel membrane reactor (Cu/eNMR) that removes nitrate from deionized water. The work was published in Nature Communications on 3 November 2026. [1] The first authors, Weijian Duan, Zhiwei Feng and Jianan Gao, contributed equally. [1]

Electrochemical hydrogenation (ECH) for wastewater treatment is often limited by its reliance on high-conductivity media. This restricts applications such as remediation of nitrate-contaminated groundwater. [1]

For water containing 50 mg/L NO3−-N, Cu/eNMR achieved 90.5% nitrate removal at 5 mA/cm2 within 3 h, with an energy consumption of 0.139 kWh/g-N. [1] A conventional reactor using the same cathode gave 12.8% removal and 8.6 kWh/g-N. [1]

## Mechanism of nitrate hydrogenation

According to the authors, nitrate hydrogenation is enabled by direct electron transfer to the reaction chamber, coupled with directional K+ migration that maintains charge neutrality. [1] The mechanistic analysis shows that interfacial charge-transfer resistance governs the direction of electron flow. [1]

The membrane configuration also suppresses anodic side reactions. The authors list active chlorine formation, chlorinated by-products, organic polymerization and metal-induced anode deactivation among them. [1]

## Groundwater test and emissions

The team also carried out solar-powered treatment of real groundwater, which, according to the authors, demonstrates practical applicability. [1] A life-cycle analysis indicates reduced greenhouse-gas emissions compared with conventional electrochemical and biological treatments. [1]

The authors conclude that this architecture broadens the feasible application of ECH to low-conductivity water treatment. [1] The corresponding authors are Chunhua Feng and Chuyang Y. Tang. [1]

## Sources

1. [Nature Communications](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-78930-x)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-7923d1312fe7fce689c76d8a_south_china_university/