Stabilization of Iron (Micro)Particles with Polyhydroxybutyrate for In Situ Remediation Applications
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Date
2019-12-09
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI
Abstract
Groundwater is an extremely important resource that may, however, contain a variety of
toxic and bioaccumulative contaminants. Traditional “Pump and Treat” technologies for treating
contaminated groundwater are no longer time- or cost-effective; therefore, new technologies are
needed. In this work, we synthesized core–shell materials of micrometric dimensions based on the
interaction of iron particles (the core) and fermentable biopolymers such as polyhydroxybutyrate
(PHB, the surrounding shell) to be used in permeable reactive barriers for the removal of
chlorinated pollutants from contaminated groundwater. The materials were prepared by precipitation
techniques that allowed stable preparations to be obtained, whose chemico-physical properties
were thoroughly characterized by scanning electron microscopy, porosimetry, Fourier transform
infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analyses, disc centrifuge analysis, and dynamic
light scattering. The properties of the prepared materials are very promising, and may enhance the
performance of permeable reactive barriers towards chlorinated compounds.
Description
Subject(s)
colloidal stability, zero-valent iron, polyhydroxybutyrate, biopolymer