A Study of Groundwater Matrix Effects for the Destruction of Trichloroethylene Using Fe/Pd Nanoaggregates

Iron nanoaggregates have been prepared using the sodium borohydride reduction method and post-coated with Pd using aqueous phase electro-deposition. The Fe/Pd nanoaggregates were used to examine dechlorination of trichloroethylene (TCE) with regard to matrix effects using materials representative of a potential zero-valent metal remediation site surrounding the Paducah gaseous diffusion plant in Paducah, KY. A surface-area-normalized first-order rate constant of 1.4 x 10(-1) L m(-2) h(-1) was obtained for the case of ideal dechlorination of 19.6 mg L(-1) TCE at room temperature and pH 6.2 using 0.5 g L(-1) Fe/Pd (0.42 wt % Pd) loading. This value decreases by an order of magnitude to 1.9 x 10(-2) L m(-2) h(-1) when the reaction is carried out in a realistic background matrix when the pH is high (8.8). For all variables tested, Pd content has the most impact on reaction rates. Circulating batch-column experiments are used to study dechlorination under flow conditions and demonstrate the ability of nonstabilized Fe/Pd nanoaggregates to remove significant amounts of TCE (80-90%) over a broad range of groundwater velocities (12.9-83 ft per day) using moderate metal loadings (0.23-0.5 g L(-1)).