Groundwater remediation using Magnesium-Aluminum alloys and in situ layered doubled hydroxides

In situ remediation of groundwater by zerovalent iron (ZVI)-based technology faces the problems of rapid passivation, fast agglomeration, limited range of pollutants and secondary contamination. Here a new concept of Magnesium-Aluminum (Mg-Al) alloys and in situ layered double hydroxides on is proposed for the degradation and removal of a wide variety of inorganic and organic pollutants from groundwater. The Mg-Al alloy provides the electrons for the chemical reduction and/or the degradation of pollutants while released Mg²⁺, Al³⁺ and OH^- ions react to generate in situ LDH precipitates, incorporating other divalent and trivalent metals and oxyanions pollutants and further adsorbing the micropollutants. The Mg-Al alloy outperforms ZVI for treating acidic, synthetic groundwater samples contaminated by complex chemical mixtures of heavy metals (Cd²⁺, Cr⁶⁺, Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Zn²⁺), nitrate, AsO₃^3-, methyl blue, trichloroacetic acid and glyphosate. Specifically, the Mg-Al alloy achieves removal efficiency ≥99.7% for these multiple pollutants at concentrations ranging between 10 and 50 mg L^-1 without producing any secondary contaminants. In contrast, ZVI removal efficiency did not exceed 90% and secondary contamination up to 220 mg L^-1 Fe was observed. Overall, this study provides a new alternative approach to develop efficient, cost-effective and green remediation for water and groundwater.