HKUST electrocatalysis turns wastewater pollutants into recoverable polymers

Researchers at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology report an oxidant-free electrocatalytic approach that selectively polymerizes organic pollutants in wastewater into recoverable products, phys.org reported, citing a Nature Communications study. Led by Prof. Irene Lo Man-Chi, the team describes iodine-mediated proton-coupled electron transfer on an I-BiOI anode. Conventional advanced oxidation processes often need large oxidant doses, remove limited total organic carbon, and create toxic intermediates. Polymerization can convert soluble phenolic pollutants into insoluble hydrophobic products, but prior processes suffered from kinetic imbalance and poor selectivity. phys.org said the findings aim to improve pollutant identification efficiency and could raise economic feasibility versus existing methods. The paper is titled "Iodine-mediated proton-coupled electron transfer enables selective polymerization of organic pollutants in an oxidant-free electrocatalytic system." DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-74349-6.