Publications

Showing 140 results for Author: Radu Custelcean

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  • Jun, 2026

    Journal

    Regeneration of anion-exchange resins for cyclic selenium removal from industrial wastewaters

    Application of ion exchange for the removal of selenium (Se) oxyanions from industrial wastewaters is often limited by ineffective regeneration of the ion-exchange resins, particularly in complex systems containing competing ions, such as coal-ash leachate containing high-sulfate concentrations and heavy metal ions. In this study, it was first demonstrated that while conve…

  • Feb, 2026

    Journal

    Photo-DAC: Light-Driven Ambient-Temperature Direct Air Capture by a Photobase

    Direct air capture (DAC) may reduce atmospheric CO2 concentrations to preindustrial levels, yet the high energies and temperatures involved in current DAC technologies hinder large-scale deployment. In the case of aqueous-based CO2 absorbents, a large energetic penalty is associated with heating and boiling off water, as required for thermally driven solvent regeneration.…

  • Feb, 2026

    Journal

    DeSelenator: A Se-Removal Process for Environmental Decontamination of Wastewaters from Coal-Burning Power Plants

    Selenium may become a toxic contaminant of freshwater systems when released into the environment through industrial wastewaters from mining, coal-burning power plants, or oil refining. Efficient and cost-effective Se-removal technologies are therefore necessary to reduce Se concentrations in these wastewaters to below the regulatory discharge limits. In this study, we have…

  • Feb, 2026

    Journal

    Harnessing interfaces for direct air capture

    Atmospheric CO2 removal through direct air capture (DAC) may help restore CO2 concentrations to optimal levels, but slow CO2 uptake rates remain a major impediment. Now, an intensified DAC process has been demonstrated, involving enhanced CO2 capture rates and reactive K2CO3 crystallization at the interface of ultraconcentrated KOH solutions with air.

  • Dec, 2025

    Journal

    Removal of Selenium Oxyanions from Aqueous Solutions by Ion Exchange: Equilibrium, Kinetics, and Mechanistic Modeling

    Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient but toxic at high concentrations, posing challenges for water treatment. This study investigated the removal of selenate (SeO42–) and selenite (SeO32–) using the strong-base anion-exchange resin IRA-900, particularly in the presence of competing sulfate (SO42–). The performance of the commercially available resin IRA-900 was syst…

  • Dec, 2025

    Journal

    Direct Air Capture Using Aqueous Amino Acid Solvents in a Crossflow Absorber

    Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most abundant of all greenhouse gases (GHGs). CO2 levels in the atmosphere are 50% higher than in the preindustrial era, trapping heat. CO2 removal from the atmosphere by direct air capture (DAC) is needed to achieve the internationally agreed global temperature goals. The most common CO2 capture technology is absorption by amine-based solvents…

  • Oct, 2025

    Journal

    Influence of extreme temperature conditions on CO2 direct air capture using amino-acid solutions

    Geological features play a pivotal role in determining the feasibility of deploying COâ‚‚ direct air capture (DAC) technologies, primarily because they influence the availability of cost-effective energy sources, such as natural gas and geothermal energy, and also due to the potential for COâ‚‚ sequestration. Many regions face challenges due to variable weather conditions incl…

  • Jun, 2025

    Journal

    Photoswitching Dynamics of a Guanidine Anion Receptor

    Photoswitchable molecules involving large-scale structural changes such as E/Z photoisomerization offer remarkable opportunities for light-stimulated catch-and-release chemical separations. While the feasibility of this photochemically driven mechanism has been demonstrated in pioneering studies, the electronic excited-state relaxation processes and its concomitant structu…

  • May, 2025

    Journal

    Biphasic solvents for post-combustion CO2 capture from natural gas flue Gas

    Fossil fuel fired power plants are generally expected to remain one of the most significant global sources of electricity for decades to come. Consequently, carbon management technologies are needed to reduce or eliminate ongoing emissions from these sources. Amongst the many techniques for carbon capture, aqueous amine-based absorbents (monoethanolamine, MEA, in particula…

  • Mar, 2025

    Journal

    Conformationally Adaptable Extractant Flexes Strong Lanthanide Reverse-Size Selectivity

    Chemical selectivity is traditionally understood in the context of rigid molecular scaffolds with precisely defined local coordination and chemical environments that ultimately facilitate a given transformation of interest. By contrast, nature leverages dynamic structures and strong coupling to enable specific interactions with target species in otherwise complex media. Ta…

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