Across North America, industrial activity and intensive agriculture have left a quiet but persistent mark on waterways. Selenium, released from mining, power generation, and irrigated farmland, enters rivers and streams daily. This element is difficult to remove, but can build up through the food chain, damaging aquatic ecosystems and threatening human health.
More than 30 large-scale treatment systems are already in place, but most rely on biological or chemical processes that are costly, space-intensive, and prone to operational problems. Some can even create more toxic selenium byproducts or large volumes of waste that require further handling.
Shiqiang (Nick) Zou, assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Michigan State, and his E-WATER Research Group are exploring a different approach. Instead of adding chemicals or relying on microbes, they use carefully designed electrochemical systems that apply electricity to selectively convert dissolved selenium into a stable, removable solid form.
Their DOE-funded work examines how this process unfolds at the electrode surface, how common co-contaminants interfere, and which low-cost materials can sustain the reaction reliably.
By focusing on precision rather than bulk removal, the approach aims to shrink system footprints, reduce secondary pollution, and lower long-term costs.
If successfully scaled, electrochemical selenium removal could help industries meet tightening regulations while opening the door to water reuse in places where wastewater has long been treated as a liability rather than a resource.
Discover more about Zou's research:
- Three-Dimensional Packed-Bed Electrochemical Reactor Design for Selective Selenite Reduction in Water [Article]
- Efficient Selenate Removal from Impaired Waters with TiO2-Assisted Electrocatalysis [NZ1] [Article]
- Cost-Effective Cathode Materials to Electrochemically Tackle Aquatic Selenite Pollution [Article]
- Competing Ion Behavior in Direct Electrochemical Selenite Reduction [Article]
- Direct Electrochemical Pathways for Selenium Reduction in Aqueous Solutions [Article]
- Google Scholar site [Website]
- Research website [Website]
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