The catch is removing industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, pesticides and other pollutants from water can be difficult using traditional treatments. But that is where Sergi Garcia-Segura comes in.
To address this challenge, the Arizona State University researcher and his team developed treatment processes that use electricity to drive chemical reactions within the water itself, enabling more affordable cleaning, using less energy and fewer additional chemicals than conventional methods.
The electrochemical processes Garcia-Segura and his team developed generate highly reactive oxidants directly from the water they are looking to clean. Moreover, that can improve treatment systems’ removal of pollutants. It can also reduce contaminants’ adverse effects on the environment.
Fix Water Challenges
“My goal is to translate these processes into scalable technologies to address real-world challenges in water treatment, environmental protection and sustainable infrastructure,” he said. Additionally, “this will help ensure communities have access to safe, reliable and sustainable water supplies for generations to come.”
Electrochemical systems based on these processes could provide effective, decentralized water treatment in remote areas. These systems can also help in locations with limited infrastructure systems and communities affected by disasters. Their compact size and high level of control make them well-suited for settings where conventional treatment systems are not available.
“Electrochemical technologies and advanced oxidation processes are powerful new tools that generate highly reactive treatment on demand, using only electricity, water and naturally occurring constituents,” Garcia-Segura said.
Sergi Garcia-Segura and his ASU research team are developing interdisciplinary solutions for accessible and equitable water treatment.
Source: Erika Gronek/ASU
Another promising application of electrochemical technologies could destroy persistent chemicals that accumulate in water supplies and ecosystems.
“We are also exploring resource recovery, where treatment systems simultaneously remove contaminants while recovering nutrients, metals or other valuable products,” Garcia-Segura said. “This approach supports a more circular economy and helps transform wastewater from a liability into a resource.”
These processes are also being investigated in projects with NASA, where highly efficient water recycling and resource recovery systems are critical for future long-duration space missions.
Next Move
The next phase of Garcia-Segura’s research focuses on developing integrated solutions for the food-water-energy nexus and advancing technologies that support a more sustainable and resilient future.
“Future water-treatment technologies should remove contaminants, recover resources, generate value and operate with minimal environmental impact,” he said. “They should combine electrochemical processes with renewable energy systems, recover nutrients and valuable materials from waste streams and create treatment platforms for deployment in resource-constrained environments.”