{"title":"Mechanisms of contaminant removal with metallic iron (Fe0): A comprehensive and critical review","authors":"Marius Gheju","doi":"10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132503","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Metallic iron (Fe<sup>0</sup>) has attracted great interest as a reactive material for water remediation. Several mechanisms of pollutant removal by Fe<sup>0</sup> were released over the last 160 + years. Redox-sensitive contaminant removal by Fe<sup>0</sup> is now generally agreed to occur primarily via direct reductive processes, as stated in the early 1990 s by the North American pioneers of this technology. This has been challenged since 2006 by a German research group advocating for adsorption, coprecipitation, size-exclusion, and indirect reduction as main removal pathways. Since then, several reviews have been devoted to assessing the validity of the two concepts. The present work has demonstrated that the two concepts should be considered complementary. Unfortunately, while this topic was the subject of active debate, much less attention has been given to other mechanisms of contaminant removal with Fe<sup>0</sup>. In addition, the available information is also largely fragmented in the literature. Therefore, this work aims to contribute to the field by addressing current knowledge gaps in mechanisms. For the first time, a systematic, historical, and critical overview of the mechanistic pathways of Fe<sup>0</sup>-based water remediation technology was provided. Additionally, a chronology of Fe<sup>0</sup> remediation mechanisms is presented, from the mid-1800 s to this day. Finally, some conclusions are drawn, and recommendations are proposed.","PeriodicalId":427,"journal":{"name":"Separation and Purification Technology","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Separation and Purification Technology","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132503","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, CHEMICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Metallic iron (Fe0) has attracted great interest as a reactive material for water remediation. Several mechanisms of pollutant removal by Fe0 were released over the last 160 + years. Redox-sensitive contaminant removal by Fe0 is now generally agreed to occur primarily via direct reductive processes, as stated in the early 1990 s by the North American pioneers of this technology. This has been challenged since 2006 by a German research group advocating for adsorption, coprecipitation, size-exclusion, and indirect reduction as main removal pathways. Since then, several reviews have been devoted to assessing the validity of the two concepts. The present work has demonstrated that the two concepts should be considered complementary. Unfortunately, while this topic was the subject of active debate, much less attention has been given to other mechanisms of contaminant removal with Fe0. In addition, the available information is also largely fragmented in the literature. Therefore, this work aims to contribute to the field by addressing current knowledge gaps in mechanisms. For the first time, a systematic, historical, and critical overview of the mechanistic pathways of Fe0-based water remediation technology was provided. Additionally, a chronology of Fe0 remediation mechanisms is presented, from the mid-1800 s to this day. Finally, some conclusions are drawn, and recommendations are proposed.
期刊介绍:
Separation and Purification Technology is a premier journal committed to sharing innovative methods for separation and purification in chemical and environmental engineering, encompassing both homogeneous solutions and heterogeneous mixtures. Our scope includes the separation and/or purification of liquids, vapors, and gases, as well as carbon capture and separation techniques. However, it's important to note that methods solely intended for analytical purposes are not within the scope of the journal. Additionally, disciplines such as soil science, polymer science, and metallurgy fall outside the purview of Separation and Purification Technology. Join us in advancing the field of separation and purification methods for sustainable solutions in chemical and environmental engineering.