Developing Cost Effective Biological Removal Technology for Selenium and Nitrate from Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) Wastewater from an Existing Power Generating Facility

Algae and plants have the natural ability to sequester selenium (Se) and
nitrate from Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) wastewater to harvestable
biomass. Biotechnology has the potential to incorporate this enhanced Se
and nitrate sequestration into agricultural systems designed to grow
nutrient-fortified crops. The overall goal of our project is to investigate and
determine a technically feasible and cost-effective process for designing
photosynthetic organisms capable of sequestering Se and nitrates from
FGD wastewater. To that end, we will explore a variety of genomics,
biochemical, genetic, and molecular approaches to understanding the
molecular basis of Se and nitrate sensing, uptake, and sequestration by
algae and plants.