The oxidation performance of the zero-valent aluminum (ZVAl)/persulfate (PS) combined system had been studied by researchers in the past, which relied on the activation of PS by ZVAl to generate potent oxidizing radicals (•OH and SO) to degrade pollutants. However, ZVAl is a strong reductant and its reduction effect cannot be ignored. The reductive performance of the ZVAl/PS combined system is still unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCarbon tetrachloride (CT) is highly toxic and recalcitrant in groundwater. In recent years, zero-valent aluminum (ZVAl) is highly reductive but limited by its surface passivation film. One of the effective ways to overcome this bottleneck is to add ligands.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is one of the priority persistent organic pollutants (POPs), yet a cost-effective technology has been lacking for the removal and degradation of HBCD. Zero-valent aluminum (ZVAl) is an excellent electron donor. However, the inert and hydrophilic surface oxide layer impedes the release of the electrons from the core metallic Al, resulting in poor reactivity towards HBCD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicroscale zero-valent aluminum (mZVAl) is prone to surface passivation due to formation of the surface Al-(hydr)oxide layer, resulting in short reactive life. To overcome this critical drawback, we developed a mechanochemical ball milling approach to modify and activate commercially available mZVAl assisted by the fragile FeSO·7HO crystals. SEM-EDS and XPS analyses indicated that the particle surface of the mechanochemically modified mZVAl (Fe-mZVAl) was not only fractured with newly formed fresh reactive surfaces, but also attached with a rough layer of Fe-oxides that were uniformly distributed on mZVAl.
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