Issue 67, 2015

Zero-valent iron nanoparticles with sustained high reductive activity for carbon tetrachloride dechlorination

Abstract

Zero-Valent Iron nanoparticles (nZVI) have been extensively applied for the reduction of various recalcitrant organic contaminants, but their reactivity usually declines over time due to the formation of passive iron oxides. In this study we observed a sustained reactivity of nZVI for the dechlorination of carbon tetrachloride (CT) in water during several consecutive reaction cycles. The dechlorination rate constants increased substantially in Cycle 2, then remained at a high level over several consecutive cycles, and ultimately declined in Cycle 7. In the entire process, the solution pH increased only slightly from 7.0 to 7.8, which was different from other unbuffered nZVI reduction systems reported before. Characterization of the particle surface morphology and composition revealed an important role of Fe oxyhydroxide formation in self-buffering the solution pH and sustaining a high nZVI reactivity. Our study provides new knowledge on the nZVI dechlorination process and may offer implications for extending the lifetime of nZVI in wastewater treatment and environmental remediation applications.

Graphical abstract: Zero-valent iron nanoparticles with sustained high reductive activity for carbon tetrachloride dechlorination

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
19 Apr 2015
Accepted
15 Jun 2015
First published
15 Jun 2015

RSC Adv., 2015,5, 54497-54504

Author version available

Zero-valent iron nanoparticles with sustained high reductive activity for carbon tetrachloride dechlorination

Y. Huo, W. Li, D. Min, D. Wang, H. Liu, Q. Kong, T. Lau and R. J. Zeng, RSC Adv., 2015, 5, 54497 DOI: 10.1039/C5RA07052J

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