Nanoscale zerovalent iron for water treatment

With the development of nanotechnology, the number of studies on the effective removal of environmental pollutants by nanoscale materials is increasing every day. The properties of nanoscale materials are different from those of micron-size materials, including higher surface area, which is an important parameter in the adsorption process. Various types of nanoparticles have been reported in the adsorption and degradation of many pollutants, such as carbonaceous materials, metals, metal oxides, and bimetallic nanoparticles. Within these nanoparticles, nanoscale zerovalent iron (nZVI) has been examined recently as a promising material, especially for the removal of persistent pollutants from the water environment. These studies have mostly been conducted at laboratory scale, with nZVI synthesized by the borohydride method. Recent studies have also shown that nZVI can be synthesized by environmentally friendly methods using phenolic compounds extracted from plants. This chapter focuses on the current applications of nanoscale zerovalent iron, bimetallic nanoparticles, nanocomposites, and bimetallic nanocomposites of nZVI in water treatment. In addition to the removal mechanism, the applications of nZVI as advanced oxidation processes were also considered. These nZVI-based materials possess high reactivity in the removal of various pollutants and show great potential for environmental applications.