Grateful to the Independent Research Fund Denmark for supporting this idea. Without their support in this unconventional approach, this milestone would not have been possible.

Promising experiments to synthesize semiconductors from this upcycled As(0), which originated as toxic arsenic in drinking water, are already underway at @maxivlaboratory.bsky.social .

This work opens the door to a new idea:
that a public health liability (arsenic in drinking water) can become a high-value functional material (arsenic-bearing semiconductors).

It’s a potential breakthrough in the sustainability and economics of arsenic treatment.

But what if those same treatment by-products could be transformed?

In this study, we show that arsenic residues can be converted into pure amorphous metallic arsenic (As(0)), which is a critical raw material for digital and clean energy technologies.

Arsenic has long been viewed only as a toxic contaminant. It is a carcinogen that endangers millions through contaminated groundwater.

Even when removed, it leaves behind arsenic-rich sludges that are costly and hazardous to manage.

After 15 years of thinking about arsenic treatment and sludge management, we’ve finally reached a milestone!

Our new work, published in #ScienceAdvances, presents a concept that reimagines what arsenic can be.