Enhanced perchloroethylene reduction in column systems using surfactant-modified zeolite/zero-valent iron pellets

Environ Sci Technol. 2002 Aug 15;36(16):3597-603. doi: 10.1021/es015816u.

Abstract

Surfactant- (hexadecyltrimethylammonium, HDTMA) modified zeolite (SMZ)/zero-valent iron (ZVI) pellets having high hydraulic conductivity (9.7 cm s(-1)), high surface area (28.2 m2 g(-1)), and excellent mechanical strength were developed. Laboratory column experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of the pellets for perchloroethylene (PCE) sorption/reduction under dynamic flow-through conditions. PCE reduction rates with the surfactant-modified pellets (SMZ/ZVI) were three times higher than the reduction rates with the unmodified pellets (zeolite/ZVI). We speculate that enhanced sorption of PCE directly onto iron surface by iron-bound HDTMA and/or an increased local PCE concentration in the vicinity of iron surface due to sorption of PCE by SMZ contributed to the enhanced PCE reduction by the SMZ/ZVI pellets. Trichloroethylene and cis-dichloroethylene production during PCE reduction increased with the surfactant-modified pellets, indicating that the surfactant modification may have favored hydrogenolysis over beta-elimination. PCE reduction rate constants increased as the travel velocity increased from 0.5 to 1.9 m d(-1), suggesting that the reduction of PCE in the column systems was mass transfer limited.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adsorption
  • Iron / chemistry*
  • Solvents / chemistry*
  • Surface-Active Agents / chemistry
  • Tetrachloroethylene / chemistry*
  • Zeolites / chemistry

Substances

  • Solvents
  • Surface-Active Agents
  • Zeolites
  • Iron
  • Tetrachloroethylene