A.D. Lemly

Selenium (Se) accumulation in aquatic environments poses significant risks to both human health and aquatic ecosystems [1], [2], [3]. While Se is an essential nutrient in trace amounts, excessive exposure can lead to serious health issues, including abnormal fetal development, craniofacial deformities, and diseases affecting the nervous system and skin [4], [5]. Se in aquatic environments primarily originates from mining, excavation, petrochemical operations, and industrial manufacturing [6].

Mining exploitation activities have been continuously increasing to cope with growing demand of natural resources in various sectors of global industry. These mining activities involve several unit processes like grinding, smelting, and refining to extract target minerals, which inevitably contaminate soils and water bodies in vicinity of the mine areas. Moreover, there are more than 500,000 abandoned mines worldwide, most of which have not been properly restored to protect environment [1].