Significant Mobility of Novel Heteroaggregates of Montmorillonite Microparticles with Nanoscale Zerovalent Irons in Saturated Porous Media

Shen，Chongyang1,2; Teng，Jinan2; Zheng，Wenjuan3; Liu，Dong2; Ma，Ke2

2022-06-01

10.3390/toxics10060332

Toxics   Impact Factor & Quartile

2305-6304

This study conducted laboratory column experiments to systematically examine the transport of novel heteroaggregates of montmorillonite (Mt) microparticles with nanoscale zerovalent irons (nZVIs) in saturated sand at solution ionic strengths (ISs) ranging from 0.001 to 0.2 M. Spherical nZVIs were synthesized using the liquid phase reduction method and were attached on the plate-shaped Mt surfaces in monolayer. While complete deposition occurred for nZVIs in sand, significant transport was observed for Mt-nZVI heteroaggregates at IS ≤ 0.01 M despite the transport decrease with an increasing loading concentration of nZVIs on Mt. The increased mobility of Mt-nZVI heteroaggregates was because the attractions between nZVIs and sand collectors were reduced by the electrostatic repulsions between the Mt and the collector surfaces, which led to a decreased deposition in the sand columns. Complete deposition occurred for the Mt-nZVI heteroaggregates at IS ≥ 0.1 M due to a favorable deposition at Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (DLVO) primary energy minima. Interestingly, a large fraction of the deposited heteroaggregates was released by reducing IS because of a monotonic decrease of interaction energy with separation distance for the heteroaggregates at low ISs (resulting in repulsive forces), in contrast to the irreversible deposition of nZVIs. Therefore, the fabricated heteroaggregates could also have high mobility in subsurfaces with saline pore water through continuous capture and release using multiple injections of water with low ISs. Our study was the first to examine the transport of heteroaggregates of a plate-like particle with spherical nanoparticles in porous media; the results have important implications in the use of nanoscale zerovalent iron for in situ soil and groundwater remediation.

montmorillonite nanoscale zerovalent iron porous media remediation transport

SCI

English

Others

WOS:000815983500001

2-s2.0-85132787868

Scopus

1.Key Laboratory of Degraded and Unused Land Consolidation Engineering,Ministry of Natural Resources of the People’s Republic of China,Xi’an,710075,China
2.Department of Soil and Water Sciences,China Agricultural University,Beijing,100193,China
3.Department of Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China

Shen，Chongyang,Teng，Jinan,Zheng，Wenjuan,et al. Significant Mobility of Novel Heteroaggregates of Montmorillonite Microparticles with Nanoscale Zerovalent Irons in Saturated Porous Media[J]. Toxics,2022,10(6).

Shen，Chongyang,Teng，Jinan,Zheng，Wenjuan,Liu，Dong,&Ma，Ke.(2022).Significant Mobility of Novel Heteroaggregates of Montmorillonite Microparticles with Nanoscale Zerovalent Irons in Saturated Porous Media.Toxics,10(6).

Shen，Chongyang,et al."Significant Mobility of Novel Heteroaggregates of Montmorillonite Microparticles with Nanoscale Zerovalent Irons in Saturated Porous Media".Toxics 10.6(2022).