Mechanochemical nitridation of micron zero-valent iron for enhanced dechlorination of trichloroethylene: Mechanistic insights into nitrogen sources and ball milling conditions

Abstract

The performance optimization of zero-valent iron (ZVI) based materials for reductive dechlorination remains challenging. After extensive research on sulfidation modification, the doping of heteroatom nitrogen (N) into ZVI for reductive dechlorination of chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHCs) becomes a new promising trend. In this study, surface modification of microscale ZVI (mZVI) was carried out by a facile ball milling method, and Fe–N(C) coated mZVI (abbreviated as N(C)-mZVIbm) synthesized from different N sources of dimethylimidazole, urea and melamine were characterized. The effects of nitrogen-to-iron ratios (N/Fe), ball milling time and speed on the reductive dechlorination of trichloroethylene (TCE) were further investigated. A series of characterization and mechanistic analysis showed that the high reactivity of N(C)-mZVIbm with melamine as nitrogen source (abbreviated as N(C)-mZVIbm(M)) was attributed to the properties and thickness of its particle passivation layer, and faster electron transfer from the reduced iron species to the surface layer. In addition, N(C)-mZVIbm(M) exhibited great performance for dechlorination at a wide pH range of 3 to 11, due to alleviated passivation of the Fe0 core under alkaline conditions by Fe–N(C). This study presents new ideas and evidences for the environmentally friendly synthesis of N-modified ZVI materials and their practical application in groundwater remediation.