Understanding Selenium Biogeochemistry in Engineered Ecosystems: Transformation and Analytical Methods

Selenium is used extensively in many industries, and it is necessary for human nutrition. On the other hand, it is also toxic at slightly elevated concentrations. With the advent of industrialisation, selenium concentrations in the environment due to anthropogenic activities have increased. Treatment of selenium-laden wastewaters and bioremediation are of increasing importance for counteracting contamination. Developing an effective treatment process requires the identification of all the selenium chemical species and their concentrations in engineered settings. This chapter collates the available techniques for identifying and quantifying various selenium species in gas, liquid, and solid phases, including X-ray absorption spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and liquid/gas chromatography. This chapter also throws light on isotopic fractionation and sequential extraction methods used to study the behaviour of selenium. Prior to the discussion R. Jain Department of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Tampere University of Technology, P.O. Box 541, Tampere, Finland E.D. van Hullebusch Université Paris-Est, Laboratoire Géomatériaux et Environnement (LGE), EA 4508, UPEM, 77454 Marne-La-Vallée, France E.D. van Hullebusch (&) Department of Environmental Engineering and Water Technology, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, P.O. Box 3015, 2601 DA Delft, The Netherlands e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] M. Lenz Institute for Ecopreneurship, School of Life Sciences, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), Gruendenstrasse 40, 4132 Muttenz, Switzerland M. Lenz Sub-Department of Environmental Technology, Wageningen University, 6700 EV Wageningen, The Netherlands F. Farges Institute de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, Sorbonne Universités, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, UMR CNRS 7590, UPMC Univ Paris 06, IRD UMR 206, 75005 Paris, France © Springer International Publishing AG 2017 E.D. van Hullebusch (ed.), Bioremediation of Selenium Contaminated Wastewater, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-57831-6_2 33 of analytical methods, this chapter discusses selenium mineralogy and biochemistry. Finally, the chapter concludes by discussing potential future analytical techniques that will further improve our understanding of selenium biogeochemistry in engineered bioprocesses.