Penicillium oxalicum SL2-enhanced nanoscale zero-valent iron effectively reduces Cr(VI) and shifts soil microbiota

Most current researches focus solely on reducing soil chromium availability. It is difficult to reduce soil Cr(VI) concentration below 5.0 mg kg-1 using single remediation technology. This study introduced a sustainable soil Cr(VI) reduction and stabilization system, Penicillium oxalicum SL2-nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI), and investigated its effect on Cr(VI) reduction efficiency and microbial ecology. Results showed that P. oxalicum SL2-nZVI effectively reduced soil total Cr(VI) concentration from 187.1 to 3.4 mg kg-1 within 180 d, and remained relatively stable at 360 d. The growth curve of P. oxalicum SL2 and microbial community results indicated that γ-ray irradiation shortened the adaptation time of P. oxalicum SL2 and facilitated its colonization in soil. P. oxalicum SL2 colonization activated nZVI and its derivatives, and increased soil iron bioavailability. After restoration, the negative effect of Cr(VI) on soil microorganisms was markedly alleviated. Cr(VI), Fe(II), bioavailable Cr/Fe, Eh, EC and urease (SUE) were the key environmental factors of soil microbiota. Notably, Penicillium significantly stimulated the growth of urease-positive bacteria, Arthrobacter, Pseudarthrobacter, and Microvirga, synergistically reducing soil chromium availability. The combination of P. oxalicum SL2 and nZVI is expected to form a green, economical and long-lasting Cr(VI) reduction stabilization strategy.

Integrated influence of sulfide modification on the reactivity of nanoscale zero-valent iron towards decabromodiphenyl ether under an electromagnetic field

Individual application of sulfide modification and electromagnetic field (EMF) can enhance the reactivity of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI), yet the potential of both in combination is not clear. This work found that the reactivity of nZVI towards decabromodiphenyl ether was significantly enhanced by the combined effect of sulfidation and EMF. The specific reaction rate constant of nZVI increased by 7 to 10 times. A series of characterization results revealed that the sulfidation level not only affects the inherent reactivity but also the magnetic-induced heating (MIH) and corrosion (MIC) of nZVI. These collectively influence the degradation efficiency of nZVI under EMF. Sulfidation generally diminished the MIH effect. The low degree of sulfidation (S/Fe = 0.1) slightly reduced the MIC effect by 21.4%. However, the high degree of sulfidation (S/Fe = 0.4) led to significantly enhanced MIC effect by 107.1%. For S/Fe = 0.1 and 0.4, the overall enhancement in the reactivity resulting from EMF was alternately dominated by the contributions of MIH and MIC. This work provides valuable insights into the MIH and MIC effects about the sulfidation level of nZVI, which is needed for further exploration and optimization of this combined technology.

Synergistic effect and mechanism of nZVI/LDH composites adsorption coupled reduction of nitrate in micro-polluted water

In this study, nZVI/LDH composites were prepared by loading nano zero-valent iron (nZVI) on layered double hydroxide (LDH) surface for adsorption coupled reduction of nitrate (NO3--N). The results showed that the removal of NO3--N and total nitrogen (TN) by the nZVI/LDH composites was 88.64% and 77.63%, respectively, with a selectivity of 55.21% for N2 and only 1.86% for ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N) within 180 min. The valence states of various N forms during the adsorption-reduction process were investigated. The mechanism of synergistic adsorption-reduction degradation of NO3--N was proposed by measuring the contents of NO3--N, nitrite (NO2--N), and NH4+-N in the aqueous and adsorbed phases in the reaction process, including rapid adsorption of initial NO3--N, chemical reduction of adsorbed NO3--N and resorption of the final product. The nZVI/LDH also maintained up to 82.56% NO3--N removal in natural water, with aging experiments proved that the composites maintained 60.48% NO3--N removal after 15 days. Therefore, the composites may have great application prospects for NO3--N removal in micro-polluted water.

Comparison of eco-improvement on constructed wetlands with nano zero valent iron introduction under different levels of PFOA stress: Perspectives on plant, microbe, and PFOA removal

The ecological hazards of perfluoro octanoic acid (PFOA, a typical perfluoroalkyl substances) have been continually reported in constructed wetlands (CWs) for wastewater treatment. In present study, nano zero valent iron (nZVI) was adopted to alleviate PFOA stress at different levels (1 and 10 mg/L) in CWs. It was revealed that the effects of nZVI on specific ecological parameters varied at different PFOA dosages. PFOA influenced plant photosynthetic and antioxidant parameters with significant concentration-dependence. NZVI addition caused more obvious promotion of chlorophyll (25.30-31.84 %) and reduction of catalase (172.64 %) and malondialdehyde (83.01 %) with 10 mg/L PFOA exposure. For microbe, nZVI was prone to stimulate enzyme activities under 1 mg/L PFOA, in which the relative activity of dehydrogenase, urease, phosphatase, and four nitrogen cycling enzymes increased by 86.25-375.56 %, 43.10-71.16 %, 1.52-29.38 %, and 4.49-315.18 %. However, nZVI caused more abundant of functional bacteria (like nitrifying bacteria and phosphorus-accumulating organisms) and function genes (like amoA, hao, and ppx) with PFOA at 10 mg/L. On the whole, changes in bacterial community confirmed the enhancement potential of nZVI on ammonium and phosphorous removal. PFOA removal at 10 mg/L was higher compared to 1 mg/L, resulting from higher abundance of class Gammaproteobacteria, and nZVI addition further contributed to the highest removal efficiency (73.54 %). This study provided evidence on nZVI as a possible manner for optimizing eco-function in CWs with PFOA stress at different levels.

Simultaneous stabilization of Pb, Cd, and As in soil by rhamnolipid coated sulfidated nano zero-valent iron: Effects and mechanisms

Sulfidation effectively improves the electron transfer efficiency of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI), but decreases the specific surface area of nZVI. In this study, sulfidated nZVI (S-nZVI) coated with rhamnolipid (RL-S-nZVI) was synthesized and used to stabilize Pb, Cd, and As in combined polluted soil. The stabilization efficiency of 0.3% (wt) RL-S-nZVI to water soluble Pb, Cd, and As in soil reached 88.76%, 72%, and 63%, respectively. Rhamnolipid coating inhibited the reduction of specific surface area and successfully encapsulated nZVI, thus reducing the oxidation of Fe⁰. The types of iron oxides in RL-S-nZVI were reduced compared to S-nZVI, but the content and strength of Fe⁰ iron were obviously enhanced. Furthermore, rhamnolipid functional groups (-COOH and -COO^-) were also involved in the stabilization process. In addition, the stabilization efficiency of RL-S-nZVI to the bioavailable Pb, Cd, and As in soil increased by 41%, 41%, and 50%, respectively, compared with nZVI. The presence of organic acids, especially citric acid, improved the stabilization efficiency of RL-S-nZVI to the three metals. The result of BCR sequential extraction indicated that RL-S-nZVI increased the residual state of Pb, Cd, and As and reduced the acid-soluble and reducible state after 28 days of soil incubation. XRD and XPS analyses showed that the stabilization mechanisms of RL-S-nZVI on heavy metals involved in ion exchange, surface complexation, adsorption, co-precipitation, chemisorption, and redox.

Aging and reactivity assessment of nanoscale zerovalent iron in groundwater systems

In this study, changes in the reactivity of nanoscale zerovalent iron (NZVI) in five different groundwater (GW) systems under anoxic and oxic conditions were examined over a wide range of aging time (0 - 60 d). p-nitrophenol (p-NP) was used as a redox-sensitive probe, whereas nalidixic acid (NA), a typical antibiotic found in the natural environment, was used as a sorbing compound. Investigation of the p-NP reduction in pure water systems showed that NZVI lost 41% and 98% of its reductive activity under anoxic and oxic conditions after 60 d, while enhancement of its reactivity was observed after short-term aging in GW (1 - 5 d), followed by a further decline. This behavior has been ascribed to the formation of secondary Fe(II)-bearing phases, including magnetite and green rust, resulting from NZVI aging in GW. Adsorption experiments revealed that GW-anoxic-aged NZVI samples exhibited a good affinity toward NA, and a greater NA adsorption (∼27 µmol g ^- 1) than that of pristine NZVI (∼2 µmol g ^- 1) at alkaline pH values. Surface complexation modeling showed that the enhanced adsorption of NA onto secondary minerals can be attributed to the Fe(II)-NA surface complexation. This considerable change in the reductive ability and the adsorption capacity of NZVI arising from groundwater corrosion calls for greater attention to be paid in assessment studies, where NZVI is injected for long-term remediation in groundwater.

GO accelerate iron oxides formation and tetrabromobisphenol A removal enhancement in the GO loaded NZVI system

Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) is an emerging persistent organic pollutant, which is very difficult to remove by common methods. In this study, the GO-load nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI/GO) was fabricated and optimized to improve the reaction rate and removal efficiency for TBBPA reliably and efficiently. The results showed that GO-load significantly reduced the self-aggregation of NZVI and the aggregate size decreased by 50.00% (1400-700 nm). Meanwhile, GO significantly improved the reaction rate k_obs (1.11 ± 0.11 h^-1) of TBBPA in the NZVI/GO system compared to the NZVI (0.40 ± 0.08 h^-1) system, and this increment was more pronounced (177.5%) when the mass ratio of NZVI-to-GO reached 1.0 than other mass ratios. Furthermore, X-Ray Diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis suggested that the Fe²⁺ transformation was changed and enriched by the GO. Only magnetite (Fe₃O₄) was detected on the surface of NZVI, whereas the maghemite (γ-Fe₂O₃), hematite (α-Fe₂O₃), and Fe₃O₄ were detected on the interface of NZVI/GO, which further performed the complexation adsorption through the -OH of TBBPA. This specific complexation adsorption is another potential accelerated removal mechanism for TBBPA and intermediates within the NZVI/GO system. This research has put forward a new perspective for widening the application of TBBPA removal using the synergistic effect between GO and NZVI.

The evolution of stable nanohybrids to complex heteroaggregates between nZVI and soil nanoparticles: The influence of ionic strength and soil components

The heteroaggregation mechanism of nZVI with four types of natural soil nanoparticles (SNPs) extracted from representative soils in northern and southern China was investigated. Heteroaggregation rates between nZVI and SNPs were quantified by dynamic light scattering and evaluated as a function of ionic strength at pH 7. The nZVI-SNPs heteroaggregates were stable with hydrodynamic diameters (D_h) ranging from 400 to 600 nm in 0.1 mM solution. Based on the extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory, nZVI underwent heteroaggregation with SNPs to form stable nZVI-SNPs nanohybrid due to the attachment of nZVI on the SNPs. However, with enhanced ionic strength, SNPs accelerated the aggregation of nZVI and formed large heteroaggregates with D_h in the range from 1200 to 2000 nm, owing to insignificant electrostatic repulsions and oppositely charged patches. In addition, the differences in the heteroaggregation rates of nZVI with four SNPs were negligible, caused by the negligible impacts of SNPs components such as soil organic matter and Fe/Al oxyhydroxides on the heteroaggregation of nZVI in the 10 mM NaCl solution. These findings are helpful for understanding the interaction between nZVI and SNPs and of significance to groundwater remediation using nZVI.

Toxicity of zero-valent iron nanoparticles to soil organisms and the associated defense mechanisms: a review

Nanoscale zero-valent iron particles (NZVI) are widely used in a variety of industries owing to their advantageous mechanical, physical, and chemical properties. These particles can be released into environmental media, including water, soil, and air, through several pathways. NZVI in the ecosystem can be taken up, excreted and distributed within organisms, which is harmful to plants, animals and humans. Plants play a significant role as producers in the ecological circle and can both positively and negatively affect the ecological behavior of NZVI. Therefore, understanding the relationship between plants and NZVI is likely to be of great value for the assessment of NZVI-associated risks and future research directions. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the uptake, distribution, and accumulation of NZVI in plants; the phytotoxicity triggered by NZVI exposure at the physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels; and the defense mechanism used by plants to defend against NZVI-induced insults. We further discuss the toxic effects of NZVI on soil animals and microorganisms as well as the risk posed by the presence of NZVI in the food chain.

Assessment of shear-thinning fluids and strategies for enhanced in situ removal of heavy chlorinated compounds-DNAPLs in an anisotropic aquifer

The removal of chlorinated organic hydrocarbons (COHs) -DNAPLs was studied in permeability-contrasted sandboxes with an egg-box shaped substratum. Aqueous solutions were compared to viscous shear-thinning fluids (xanthan solution and foam). Interfacial and viscous effects were compared by increasing the capillary number of injected fluids. Non-spatially targeted DNAPL recovery (NSTR) where the driving force was the injection pressure, was compared to spatially targeted DNAPL recovery (STR) where a pumping system allowed the controlled flow. A historical contamination made of a complex mixture of COHs and hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD) as a model were used. NSTR results showed that DNAPL recovery with non-viscous liquids did not exceed 40%. The best results were obtained for xanthan solutions with surfactant ~ 1.3 ×CMC for which pure phase recovery amounted to 88% and 93% for HCBD and for the historical DNAPL, respectively. The STR strategy showed similar recovery yields, whereas xanthan concentrations were 10-times lower. Mass balances on DNAPL showed that at most, 0.15% of COHs was dissolved in the aqueous effluents. NZVI (1 g.l^-1) were delivered in xanthan in view of the chemical degradation of residual COHs and showed a 65% transmission through the low permeability soil.

Copper and Chromium toxicity is mediated by oxidative stress in Caenorhabditis elegans: The use of nanoparticles as an immobilization strategy

Environmental contamination by heavy metals (HMs) has impelled searching for stabilization strategies, where the use of zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) is considered a promising option. We have evaluated the combined effect of Cu(II)-Cr(VI) on two Caenorhabditis elegans strains (N2 and RB1072 sod-2 mutant) in aqueous solutions and in a standard soil, prior and after treatment with nZVI (5% w/w). The results showed that HMs aqueous solutions had an intense toxic effect on both strains. Production of reactive oxygen species and enhanced expression of the heat shock protein Hsp-16.2 was observed, indicating increased HM-mediated oxidative stress. Toxic effects of HM-polluted soil on worms were higher for sod-2 mutant than for N2 strain. However, nZVI treatment significantly diminished all these effects. Our findings highlighted C. elegans as a sensitive indicator for HMs pollution and its usefulness to assess the efficiency of the nanoremediation strategy to decrease the toxicity of Cu(II)-Cr(VI) polluted environments.

Tailored design of three-dimensional rGOA-nZVI catalyst as an activator of persulfate for degradation of organophosphorus pesticides

In this study, three-dimensional reduced graphene oxide aerogel (rGOA)-supported nanozero-valent iron (rGOA-nZVI) was successfully synthesized via tailored design and applied to activate persulfate (PS) to degrade three organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs; phorate, terbufos and parathion) in water and a historically contaminated soil. The results showed that loading nZVI nanoparticles on rGOA could prevent the aggregation of nZVI. rGOA-nZVI presented a better catalytic performance for PS activation to degrade the three OPPs than bare nZVI and rGOA, with degradation efficiencies of greater than 99.5% within 5 min. pH had negligible effects on the PS activated by rGOA-nZVI (rGOA-nZVI/PS). EPR measurements and radical quenching experiments showed that ·SO₄^- and ·OH were the main radicals responsible for OPP removal in the rGOA-nZVI/PS system. Furthermore, nine intermediates were identified, and the oxidation and scission of C-S-C, P-S/O and PS were the dominant degradation pathways of the three OPPs in aqueous solutions treated with rGOA-nZVI/PS. Additionally, rGOA-nZVI/PS achieved degradation efficiencies of 95.1% for phorate, 79.9% for terbufos and 89.1% for parathion in the contaminated soil, and the detected intermediates could be further degraded except triethylphosphate. Overall, this study provides practical knowledge for OPP removal by rGOA-nZVI/PS in wastewater and actual contaminated soil.

Removal of organic compounds by nanoscale zero-valent iron and its composites

During the latest several decades, the continuous development of the economy and industry has brought more and more serious organic pollutants to the natural environment, which have inevitably aroused severe menace to human health and the environmental system. The nano zero-valent iron (NZVI) particles and NZVI-based materials have widely applied to remove organic pollutants. This article reviews the key advancements of different methods for the synthesis of NZVI and NZVI-based materials. Different modification methods (e.g., doped NZVI, encapsulated NZVI and supported NZVI) are also introduced detailedly for overcoming the defects of NZVI such as aggregation and easy oxidation. The removal of different organic pollutants including dyes, halogenated organic compounds, nitro-organic compounds, phenolic compounds, pesticides, and antibiotics are summarized. The interaction mechanisms, including adsorption, reduction, and active oxidation of organic pollutants by NZVI/NZVI-based composites, are discussed. The dyes are mainly removed by destroying their chromogenic group according to the reduction or the Fenton-like reaction with NZVI. The removal of halogenated organic compounds (HOCs) is realized by the dehalogenation process, including reductive elimination, hydrogenolysis, and hydrogenation. As for the nitro-organic compounds, three different reduction pathways as nitro-reduction (into amino), cleavage at the carbon‑nitrogen bond or denitration of the NO₂ group may take effect. The phenolic compounds can be mineralized into inorganic molecules, including CO₂ and H₂O, by Fenton oxidation. This review might provide the basis for future studies on developing more effective NZVI-based materials for the treatment of wastewaters contaminated by organic pollutants.

Efficient and selective removal of SeVI and AsV mixed contaminants from aqueous media by montmorillonite-nanoscale zero valent iron nanocomposite

Nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI) and NZVI supported onto montmorillonite (NZVI-Mt) were synthetized and used in this study to remove Se^VI and As^V from water in mono- and binary-adsorbate systems. The adsorption kinetics and isotherm data for Se^VI and As^V were adequately described by the pseudo-second-order (PSO) (r²>0.94) and Freundlich (r²>0.93) equations. Results from scanning electron microscopy showed that the dimension of the NZVI immobilized on the Mt was smaller than pure NZVI. Using 0.05 g of adsorbent and an initial 200 mg L^-1 As^V and Se^VI concentration, the maximum adsorption capacity (q_max) and partition coefficient (PC) for As^V on NZVI-Mt in monocomponent system were 54.75 mg g^-1 and 0.065 mg g^-1·μM^-1, which dropped respectively to 49.91 mg g^-1 and 0.055 mg g^-1·μM^-1 under competitive system. For Se^VI adsorption on NZVI-Mt in monocomponent system, q_max and PC were 28.63 mg g^-1 and 0.024 mg g^-1·μM^-1, respectively. Values of q_max and PC were higher for NZVI-Mt than NZVI and montmorillonite, indicating that the nanocomposite contained greater adsorption sites for removing both oxyanions, but with a marked preference for As^V. Future research should evaluate the effect of different operational variables on the removal efficiency of both oxyanions by NZVI-Mt.

Zero-Valent Iron Nanoparticles for Soil and Groundwater Remediation

Zero-valent iron has been reported as a successful remediation agent for environmental issues, being extensively used in soil and groundwater remediation. The use of zero-valent nanoparticles have been arisen as a highly effective method due to the high specific surface area of zero-valent nanoparticles. Then, the development of nanosized materials in general, and the improvement of the properties of the nano-iron in particular, has facilitated their application in remediation technologies. As the result, highly efficient and versatile nanomaterials have been obtained. Among the possible nanoparticle systems, the reactivity and availability of zero-valent iron nanoparticles (NZVI) have achieved very interesting and promising results make them particularly attractive for the remediation of subsurface contaminants. In fact, a large number of laboratory and pilot studies have reported the high effectiveness of these NZVI-based technologies for the remediation of groundwater and contaminated soils. Although the results are often based on a limited contaminant target, there is a large gap between the amount of contaminants tested with NZVI at the laboratory level and those remediated at the pilot and field level. In this review, the main zero-valent iron nanoparticles and their remediation capacity are summarized, in addition to the pilot and land scale studies reported until date for each kind of nanomaterials.

Enhancing Cr(VI) reduction and immobilization by magnetic core-shell structured NZVI@MOF derivative hybrids

Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) has significantly threatened the environmental health because of its distinct toxicity. A novel magnetic core-shell structured NZVI@ZD composite was designed for simultaneous adsorption and reduction of Cr(VI). NZVI@ZD was synthesized by carbonization of the as-prepared core-shell structure NZVI@zeolitic imidazole framework-67 (ZIF-67). After carbonization, the original ZIF-67 shell shape was preserved well with marginal parts developing to graphitized carbon. Both cobalt (Co) and NZVI nanoparticles were finely dispersed in the porous ZIF-67 derivative (ZD). NZVI@ZD exhibited excellent removal performance for Cr(VI), owing to its high specific surface area and large pore size favorable for Cr(VI) adsorption and diffusion. The maximum adsorption capacity of NZVI@ZD for Cr(VI) was surprisingly as high as 226.5 mg g^-1, surpassing the pristine ZIF-67 (29.35 mg g^-1) and NZVI@ZIF-67 (36.53 mg g^-1). Zeta potential and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra revealed that electrostatic attraction, reduction and precipitation might be involved in the Cr(VI) removal process by NZVI@ZD, resulting in the conversion of the adsorbed Cr(VI) to Cr(III) of lower toxicity and an eventual immobilization on the NZVI@ZD. The magnetic core-shell structured NZVI@ZD possessed superior adsorptive reactivity for Cr(VI) to most other traditional or newly reported materials, thus should be deemed highly efficient for Cr(VI)-contaminated wastewater treatment.

Synthesis of nanoscale zero-valent iron loaded chitosan for synergistically enhanced removal of U(VI) based on adsorption and reduction

In this study, chitosan (CS) loading well-dispersed nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI/CS) was successfully prepared via the liquid-phase reduction method. Characterizations of the NZVI/CS with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction suggested that the as-prepared NZVI/CS comprised numerous dispersed Fe⁰ nanoparticles. Synergistic adsorption and reduction occurred during the removal process based on X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Influence of pH, contract time and temperature on U(VI) removal were investigated. The high removal capacity and rapid removal kinetics were predominately ascribed to the existence of well-distributed NZVI, which could rapidly reduce U(VI) into U(IV). The removal process could be better depicted by the Langmuir isotherm model and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The thermodynamic parameters showed that the removal process was exothermic. These findings indicate that the synthesized NZVI/CS composites have potential application for the removal of U(VI) from the sewage water.

Strategies to enhance the stability of nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI) in continuous BrO3- reduction

The reduction of bromate to bromide was successfully achieved by bimetallic catalysts with NZVI support in continuous-flow reactors. The stability of NZVI-supported bimetallic catalysts was enhanced by decelerating the iron corrosion and sequential rapid passivation of the iron-Cu-Pd ensembles under optimized reaction conditions. Thus >99% bromate removal can be continuously achieved for 11 h. The lifetime of the bimetallic catalyst was further enhanced and tested under different hydraulic retention time, catalyst loading, and initial bromate concentrations. At the optimized operation conditions, the catalyst showed a complete bromate reduction by 24 h and then the reactivity slowly decreased to 20% over the next 100 h. X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the reactive NZVI support was oxidized to Fe(II) and Fe(III) along with Cu(0) oxidation to CuO, while the oxidation state of Pd did not change. Therefore, bromate reduction occurred on the surface of reactive NZVI support and Cu(0) particle, while Pd played a role as a hydrogenation catalyst that prolonged the lifetime of the bimetallic catalyst.

Nanoscale zero-valent iron/magnetite carbon composites for highly efficient immobilization of U(VI)

Nanoscale zerovalent iron/magnetic carbon (NZVI/MC) composites were successfully synthesized by simply calcining yellow pine and iron precursors. NZVI/MC pyrolyzed at 800°C (NZVI/MC800) had a higher percentage of NZVI and displayed better resistance to aggregation and oxidation of NZVI than samples prepared at other temperatures. The NZVI/MC800 material was applied for the elimination of U(VI) from aqueous solutions. The results suggested that the NZVI/MC800 displayed excellent adsorption capacity (203.94 mg/g) toward U(VI). The significant adsorption capacity and fast adsorption kinetics were attributed to the presence of well-dispersed NZVI, which could quickly reduce U(VI) into U(IV), trapping the guest U(IV) in the porous biocarbon matrix. The removal of U(VI) on the NZVI/MC samples was strongly affected by solution pH. The NZVI/MC samples also displayed outstanding reusability for U(VI) removal after multiple cycles. These findings indicate that NZVI/MC has great potential for remediation of wastewater containing U(VI).

Effects of pH value and calcium hardness on the removal of 1,1,1-trichloroethane by immobilized nanoscale zero-valent iron on silica based supports

Immobilizing nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI) particles on silica-based supports is an effective way to overcome the NZVI aggregation. The pH value and calcium hardness can change the aggregation kinetics and alter the stability of the suspensions of NZVI-silica based materials, thus change the reactivity of these NZVI-silica based materials to remove chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs). The removal of CAHs by these NZVI-silica based materials includes adsorption by silica based supports and degradation by NZVI particles. Using 1,1,1-TCA and mesoporous hydrated silica (mHS) as model chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbon (CAH) and silica based support, the effects of pH value and Ca²⁺ concentration on both the adsorption and adsorption-degradation processes of CAHs by NZVI-silica based materials were studied. The structural and textural features, suspension stability, particle size distribution, and Zeta potential of the materials under various conditions were characterized by different techniques. Both decreasing initial pH value and increasing Ca²⁺ concentration can reduce the Zeta potential of mHS and lead to the aggregation of mHS particles, thus inhibiting the removal of 1,1,1-TCA via adsorption by mHS through decreasing the number of sites for adsorption. Low initial pH value can accelerate the corrosion of NZVI core and remove the passivation layer, thus promoting the removal of 1,1,1-TCA via adsorption-degradation by NZVI@mHS. Ca²⁺ can decrease the sites for adsorption and form precipitates which can block mesoporous channels, thus hinder the 1,1,1-TCA removal via adsorption-degradation by NZVI@mHS.

Remediation of contaminated soils by enhanced nanoscale zero valent iron

The use of nanoscale zero valent iron (nZVI) for in situ remediation of soil contamination caused by heavy metals and organic pollutants has drawn great concern, primarily owing to its potential for excellent activity, low cost and low toxicity. This reviews considers recent advances in our understanding of the role of nZVI and enhanced nZVI strategy in the remediation of heavy metals and persistent organic contaminants polluted soil. The performance, the migration and transformation of nZVI affected by the soil physical and chemical conditions are summarized. However, the addition of nZVI inevitably disturbs the soil ecosystem, thus the impacts of nZVI on soil organisms are discussed. In order to further investigate the remediation effect of nZVI, physical, chemical and biological method combination with nZVI was developed to enhance the performance of nZVI. From a high efficient and environmentally friendly perspective, biological method enhanced nZVI technology will be future research needs. Possible improvement of nZVI-based materials and potential areas for further applications in soil remediation are also proposed.

Modified MODFLOW-based model for simulating the agglomeration and transport of polymer-modified Fe0 nanoparticles in saturated porous media

The solute transport model MODFLOW has become a standard tool in risk assessment and remediation design. However, particle transport models that take into account both particle agglomeration and deposition phenomena are far less developed. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the feasibility of adapting the standard code MODFLOW/MT3D to simulate the agglomeration and transport of three different types of polymer-modified nanoscale zerovalent iron (NZVI) in one-dimensional (1-D) and two-dimensional (2-D) saturated porous media. A first-order decay of the particle population was used to account for the agglomeration of particles. An iterative technique was used to optimize the model parameters. The model provided good matches to 1-D NZVI-breakthrough data sets, with R ² values ranging from 0.96 to 0.99, and mass recovery differences between the experimental results and simulations ranged from 0.1 to 1.8 %. Similarly, simulations of NZVI transport in the heterogeneous 2-D model demonstrated that the model can be applied to more complicated heterogeneous domains. However, the fits were less good, with the R ² values in the 2-D modeling cases ranging from 0.75 to 0.95, while the mass recovery differences ranged from 0.7 to 6.5 %. Nevertheless, the predicted NZVI concentration contours during transport were in good agreement with the 2-D experimental observations. The model provides insights into NZVI transport in porous media by mathematically decoupling agglomeration, attachment, and detachment, and it illustrates the importance of each phenomenon in various situations. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Combined nano-biotechnology for in-situ remediation of mixed contamination of groundwater by hexavalent chromium and chlorinated solvents

The present report describes a 13month pilot remediation study that consists of a combination of Cr(VI) (4.4 to 57mg/l) geofixation and dechlorination of chlorinated ethenes (400 to 6526μg/l), achieved by the sequential use of nanoscale zerovalent iron (nZVI) particles and in situ biotic reduction supported by whey injection. The remediation process was monitored using numerous techniques, including physical-chemical analyses and molecular biology approaches which enabled both the characterization of the mechanisms involved in pollutant transformation and the description of the overall background processes of the treatment. The results revealed that nZVI was efficient toward Cr(VI) by itself and completely removed it from the groundwater (LOQ 0.05mg/l) and the subsequent application of whey resulted in a high removal of chlorinated ethenes (97 to 99%). The persistence of the reducing conditions, even after the depletion of the organic substrates, indicated a complementarity between nZVI and the whey phases in the combined technology as the subsequent application of whey phase partially assisted the microbial regeneration of the spent nZVI by promoting its reduction into Fe(II), which further supported remediation conditions at the site. Illumina sequencing and the detection of functional vcrA and bvcA genes documented a development in the reducing microbes (iron-reducing, sulfate-reducing and chlororespiring bacteria) that benefited under the conditions of the site and that was probably responsible for the high dechlorination and/or Cr(VI) reduction. The results of this study demonstrate the feasibility and high efficiency of the combined nano-biotechnological approach of nZVI and whey application in-situ for the removal of Cr(VI) and chlorinated ethenes from the groundwater of the contaminated site.

Effect of promoter and noble metals and suspension pH on catalytic nitrate reduction by bimetallic nanoscale Fe(0) catalysts

Experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of experimental factors (types of promotor and noble metals, H2 injection, and suspension pH) on catalytic nitrate reduction by bimetallic catalysts supported by nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI). NZVI without H2 injection showed 71% of nitrate reduction in 1 h. Cu/NZVI showed the almost complete nitrate reduction (96%) in 1 h, while 67% of nitrate was reduced by Ni/NZVI. The presence of noble metals (Pd and Pt) on Cu/NZVI without H2 injection resulted in the decrease of removal efficiency to 89% and 84%, respectively, due probably to the electron loss of NZVI for formation of metallic Pd and Pt. H2 injection into Cu-Pd/NZVI suspension significantly improved both catalytic nitrate reduction (>97% in 30 min) and N2 selectivity (18%), indicating that adsorbed H on active Pd sites played an important role for the enhanced nitrate reduction and N2 selectivity. The rapid passivation of NZVI surface resulted in a dramatic decrease in nitrate reduction (79-28%) with an increase in N2 selectivity (8-66%) as the suspension pH increased from 8 to 10.

Nanoscale Zero-Valent Iron (NZVI) supported on sineguelas waste for Pb(II) removal from aqueous solution: kinetics, thermodynamic and mechanism

In this study, the synthesis and characterization of a new adsorbent containing nanoscale zerovalent iron particles (NZVI) decorated sineguelas waste (S-NaOH-NZVI) from agriculture biomass was investigated for the adsorption/reduction of inorganic pollution such as Pb(II) ions. The combination of ZVI particles on the surface of sineguelas waste can help to overcome the disadvantage of ultra-fine powders which may have strong tendency to agglomerate into larger particles, resulting in an adverse effect on both effective surface area and catalyst performance. The synthesized materials were characterized with different methods such as FT-IR, BET, XRD, TEM and pHPZC. Good dispersion of NZVI particles (ca. 10-70nm) on the sineguelas waste was observed. The effects of various parameters, such as contact time, pH, concentration, adsorbent dosage and temperature were studied. The adsorption of Pb(II) ions has been studied in terms of pseudo-first- and second-order kinetics, and the Freundlich, Langmuir and Langmuir-Freundlich isotherms models have also been used to the equilibrium adsorption data. The adsorption kinetics followed the mechanism of the pseudo-second-order equation. The thermodynamic parameters (ΔG, ΔH and ΔS) indicated that the adsorption of Pb(II) ions were feasible, spontaneous and endothermic at 25-80°C. XRD analysis indicated the presence of Pb(0) on the S-NaOH-NZVI surface. This study suggests that the modified sineguelas waste by NZVI particles can be prepared at low cost and the materials are environmentally benign for the removal of Pb(II) ions, and likely many other heavy metal ions, from water.

Investigation of PAA/PVDF-NZVI hybrids for metronidazole removal: synthesis, characterization, and reactivity characteristics

For the first time, the removal process of metronidazole (MNZ) from aqueous solutions over nano zerovalent iron (NZVI) encapsulated within poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membranes was reported. The resultant composite (PPN) demonstrated high reactivity, excellent stability and reusability over the reaction course. Such excellent performance might be attributed to the presence of the charged carboxyl groups in PVDF membrane support, which could enhance NZVI dispersion and improve its longevity. Results showed that a lower initial concentration and higher reaction temperature facilitated the removal of MNZ by PPN, and that the acidic and neutral conditions generally exhibited more favorable effect on MNZ removal than the alkaline ones. Kinetics of the MNZ removal by PPN was found to follow a two-parameter pseudo-first-order decay model well, and the activation energy of the MNZ degradation by PPN was determined to be 30.49kJ/mol. The presence of chloride ions slightly enhanced the reactivity of PPN with MNZ, whereas sulfate ions inhibited its reactivity. In addition, MNZ degradation pathways by PPN were proposed based on the identified intermediates. This study suggests that PPN composite possessing excellent performance may be a promising functional material to pretreat antibiotic wastewaters.

A novel ultrasound assisted method in synthesis of NZVI particles

This research is about a novel ultrasound assisted method for synthesis of nano zero valent iron particles (NZVI). The materials were characterized using TEM, FESEM, XRD, BET and acoustic PSA. The effect of ultrasonic power, precursor/reductant concentration (NaBH4, FeSO4·7H2O) and delivery rate of NaBH4 on NZVI characteristics were investigated. Under high ultrasonic power the morphology of nano particles changed from spherical type to plate and needle type. Also, when high precursor/reductant and high ultrasonic power was used the particle size of NZVI decreased. The surface area of NZVI particles synthesized by ultrasonic method was increased when compared by the other method. From the XRD patterns it was found also the crystallinity of particles was poor.