title: Multifunctional iron-carbon nanocomposites through an aerosol-based process for the in situ remediation of chlorinated hydrocarbons.
abstract: Spherical iron-carbon nanocomposites were developed through a facile aerosol-based process with sucrose and iron chloride as starting materials. These composites exhibit multiple functionalities relevant to the in situ remediation of chlorinated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethylene (TCE). The distribution and immobilization of iron nanoparticles on the surface of carbon spheres prevents zerovalent nanoiron aggregation with maintenance of reactivity. The aerosol-based carbon microspheres allow adsorption of TCE, thus removing dissolved TCE rapidly and facilitating reaction by increasing the local concentration of TCE in the vicinity of iron nanoparticles. The strongly adsorptive property of the composites may also prevent release of any toxic chlorinated intermediate products. The composite particles are in the optimal range for transport through groundwater saturated sediments. Furthermore, those iron-carbon composites can be designed at low cost, the process is amenable to scale-up for in situ application, and the materials are intrinsically benign to the environment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118, United States. jzhan@tulane.edu
authors.forename: Jingjing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kolesnichenko
authors.forename: Bhanukiran
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sunkara
authors.forename: Jibao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Gary L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: McPherson
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Piringer
authors.forename: Vijay T
authors.initials: VT
authors.lastname: John
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation / Q000379:methods*; D007501:Iron / Q000737:chemistry*; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014241:Trichloroethylene / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D014241:Trichloroethylene; D002244:Carbon; D007501:Iron