Our lab currently has several ongoing research projects in electrochemical water and wastewater treatment.
Project 1. Selenium Removal via Direct Electrochemical Reduction
Funding Agency: Department of Energy (DOE) National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI)
Aquatic selenium (Se) pollution is closely associated with mining, agricultural irrigation, hydraulic fracturing, and thermoelectric power generation and is typically discharged into the aquatic environment at a ppb to ppm level as Se(IV) and Se(VI) oxyanions (e.g., SeO32- and SeO42-). To effectively mitigate aquatic Se pollution, more than 30 full-scale biological and physicochemical Se treatment processes have been implemented in North America between 2007 and 2018. Disadvantages of existing solutions include: a large footprint, constant chemical dosing, susceptibility to performance upsets, the potential to generate toxic hydrogen selenide and organic Se species with significantly higher bioavailability (2-3 orders of magnitude) and toxicity than inorganic Se, high costs, and generating large amounts of (bio)solids that require further management and may cause secondary pollution. The development of next-generation treatment systems that can precisely separation Se from complex waste streams and overcome existing challenges, may enable pipe-parity and the reuse of waters traditionally considered waste streams.
Project Team at Auburn: Zilan Yang, Dr. Ao Xie
Selected Publications:
- Zou, S., & Mauter, M. S. (2021). Direct electrochemical pathways for selenium reduction in aqueous solutions. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 9(5), 2027-2036.
- Zou, S., & Mauter, M. S. (2021). Competing Ion Behavior in Direct Electrochemical Selenite Reduction. ACS ES&T Engineering, 1(6), 1028-1035.
- Yang, Z., Zhao, J., Sullivan, E.G., Zou, S. (2023) Cost-effective cathode materials to electrochemically tackle aquatic selenite pollution. ACS ES&T Engineering, In Press.
Project 2. Electrodialysis System to Manage Inland Reverse Osmosis Concentrate
Funding Agency: Department of Energy (DOE) National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI)
Reverse Osmosis Concentrate (ROC), which is the waste brine produced from reverse osmosis (RO), often contains contaminants such as pesticides, boron, heavy metals, and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) compounds—which are human-made chemicals used in a wide range of consumer and industrial products. This project will develop a novel Flow-through Intensified ELectroDialysis (FIELD) treatment system that integrates three electro-chemical treatment processes: electroosmosis, electrophoresis, and electrodialysis. The proposed FIELD system will degrade persistent organics (like agrochemicals, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals); capture diluted heavy metals, extract non-hazardous soluble salts for potential environmental discharge; and produce freshwater for reuse.
Project Team at Auburn: To be announced.
Selected Publications:
- Soon to be released.
Project 3. Electrochemical Phosphorus Removal from Runoff
Funding Agency: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Gulf of Mexico Division
Project Team at Auburn: To be announced.
Selected Publications:
- Soon to be released.
Project 4. Bioelectrochemical Systems for Resource Recovery
Funding Agency: TBD
Project Team at Auburn: Dr. Ao Xie
Project 5. Electrochemical Soil Conditioning
Funding Agency: Auburn Highway Research Center
Project Team at Auburn: Najibullah Zulfeqar
ZOU LAB @ Auburn 