Innovative Approaches to Increase the Longevity of PRBs Containing Zero-Valent Iron

The removal capacity of zero-valent iron for Cr(Ⅵ) was evaluated using batch kinetic tests. The rate constants for zero-valent iron dramatically increased as initial Cr(Ⅵ) concentration decreased. Generally, the reaction rates of Cr(Ⅵ) with zero-valent iron were faster than that of a biotic degradation of Cr(Ⅵ), and furthermore the reaction rates were inversely proportional to the initial Cr(Ⅵ) concentrations. After certain reaction time elapsed. no further decrease of Cr(Ⅵ) was observed, indicating a loss of iron reactivity. The loss of iron reactivity was primarily due to the passivation of iron surfaces with iron-Cr precipitates, but the reactivity of iron was recovered by adding iron-reducing bacteria. Even though the addition of bacteria itself removed Cr(Ⅵ), the combination of iron-reducing bactera and oxidized iron significantly enhanced the reaction rate for Cr(Ⅵ) removal. The results from column tests also confirmed that the innoculation of iron-reducing bacteria to the column containing completely oxidized iron partially enhanced the recovery of the iron reactivity.