A handbook of environmental toxicology: human disorders and ecotoxicology.

Chapter 36 (Page no: 531)

Metallic iron for environmental remediation: prospects and limitations.

Metallic iron (Fe⁰) has been suggested as an affordable, readily available and efficient material for environmental remediation. Mixed into soil or filled in reactive barriers, Fe0 is a feasible pathway to control contamination in seepage waters. Available information in the literature, however, presents discrepant evidence on the efficiency of this (still innovative) technology. On the basis of a profound study of literature over the past 160 years, it is suggested that these discrepancies are explained by the aqueous chemistry of iron (corrosion). Neglected aspects contributing to the apparent complexity of the Fe⁰/H₂O system are outlined. It appears that designing an efficient and sustainable Fe⁰ remediation system is purely a site-specific issue and that available data are not (really) comparable. In particular, it is clear that Fe⁰ barriers that have been successfully working for more than a decade were not designed according to any scientific basis. While the success or failure of implemented reactive barriers can be rationalized, more systematic research is needed for a science-based design of efficient and sustainable Fe⁰-based systems for environmental remediation.

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