Abstract
FeS/FeS$_2$ minerals have been known to be potentially useful reductant to the removal of common organic contaminants in groundwater and soil. This research is aimed at improving our understanding of factors affecting the pathways and rates of reductive transformation of Hexachloroethane by catalytical iron minerals in natural system. Hexachloroethane is reduced by FeS/FeS$_2$ minerals under anaerobic condition to tetrachloroethylene and trichloroethylene with pentachloroethyl radical as the intermediate products. The kinetics of reductive transformations of the Hexachloroethane have been investigated in aqueous solution containing FeS, FeS$_2$. The proposed reduction mechanism for the adsorbed nitrobenzene involves the electron donor-acceptor complex as a precursor to electron transfer. The adsorbed Hexachloroethane undergo a series of electron transfer, proton transfer and dehydration to achieve complete reduction. It can be concluded that the reductive transformation reaction takes place at surface of iron-bearing minerals and is dependent on surface area and pH. Nitrobenzene reduction kinetics is affected by reductant type, surface area, pH, the surface site density, and the surface charge. FeS/FeS$_2$-mediated reductive dechlorination may be an important transformation pathway in natural systems.
