Chapter 2
Nanoscale Zero-Valent Iron Particles
for Water Treatment: From Basic
Principles to Field-Scale Applications
Tanapon Phenrat, Petra Skácelová, Eleni Petala, Adriana Velosa,
and Jan Filip
Abstract Reductive technologies of groundwater and soil treatment, based on
nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) particles, have been recognized and generally
accepted as modern remediation tools for elimination of broad range of both organic
and inorganic environmental contaminants, mainly at sites where fast and efficient
removal of persistent and emerging organic and inorganic pollutants is needed. In
this chapter, we summarize the basic principles and chemical pathways of the nZVI
interaction with water and contaminants, recent approaches to nZVI modifications
enhancing their reactivity and longevity (including electrostatic and steric stabilization of nZVI, synthesis and applicability of bimetallic particles and nZVI-based
nanocomposites, emulsification of nZVI particles, and combination of nZVI with
electrokinetics), and present an overview on field-scale applications of nZVI for
remediation purposes all over the world. The main aim is to demonstrate the diverse
properties of nZVI particles and their possible limitations for water treatment.
Keywords Nanoparticles · Iron · nZVI · Groundwater · Surface and chemical
modification · Nanocomposites · Reaction mechanisms · Field-scale applications
T. Phenrat
Department of Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering Program, Naresuan University,
Phitsanulok, Thailand
P. Skácelová
Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Palacký University Olomouc,
Olomouc, Czech Republic
NANO IRON, s.r.o, Židlochovice, Czech Republic
E. Petala · A. Velosa · J. Filip (*)
Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Palacký University Olomouc,
Olomouc, Czech Republic
e-mail: jan.filip@upol.cz
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
J. Filip et al. (eds.), Advanced Nano-Bio Technologies for Water and Soil Treatment,
Applied Environmental Science and Engineering for a Sustainable Future,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29840-1_2
19
Nanoscale Zero-Valent Iron Particles
for Water Treatment: From Basic
Principles to Field-Scale Applications
Tanapon Phenrat, Petra Skácelová, Eleni Petala, Adriana Velosa,
and Jan Filip
Abstract Reductive technologies of groundwater and soil treatment, based on
nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) particles, have been recognized and generally
accepted as modern remediation tools for elimination of broad range of both organic
and inorganic environmental contaminants, mainly at sites where fast and efficient
removal of persistent and emerging organic and inorganic pollutants is needed. In
this chapter, we summarize the basic principles and chemical pathways of the nZVI
interaction with water and contaminants, recent approaches to nZVI modifications
enhancing their reactivity and longevity (including electrostatic and steric stabilization of nZVI, synthesis and applicability of bimetallic particles and nZVI-based
nanocomposites, emulsification of nZVI particles, and combination of nZVI with
electrokinetics), and present an overview on field-scale applications of nZVI for
remediation purposes all over the world. The main aim is to demonstrate the diverse
properties of nZVI particles and their possible limitations for water treatment.
Keywords Nanoparticles · Iron · nZVI · Groundwater · Surface and chemical
modification · Nanocomposites · Reaction mechanisms · Field-scale applications
T. Phenrat
Department of Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering Program, Naresuan University,
Phitsanulok, Thailand
P. Skácelová
Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Palacký University Olomouc,
Olomouc, Czech Republic
NANO IRON, s.r.o, Židlochovice, Czech Republic
E. Petala · A. Velosa · J. Filip (*)
Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Palacký University Olomouc,
Olomouc, Czech Republic
e-mail: jan.filip@upol.cz
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
J. Filip et al. (eds.), Advanced Nano-Bio Technologies for Water and Soil Treatment,
Applied Environmental Science and Engineering for a Sustainable Future,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29840-1_2
19