Reduction of Nitrate-nigrogen by Zero-valent Iron Adhered in Mesoporous Silicas

For environmental remediation of a contaminated groundwater plume, the use of zero-valent metal represents one of the latest innovative technologies. In this study, the effects of denitrification by zero-valent iron adsorbed in mesoporous silicas have been studied for groundwater contaminant degradation. The mesoporous silica was functionalized with 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTS) ligands and the zero-valent iron precipitated in the mesopore of granular silica was made by $FeCl_2$ and $NaBH_4$. Hydrogen was exchanged with $Fe^{2+}$ ions in the granular silicas. And then the ions were reduced by sodium borohydride in the mesoporous silicas. The surface area of the silica determined via the BET method ranged from 858 to $1275m^2/g$. The reductive reaction of nitrate-nitrogen indicated that the degradation of nitrate-nitrogen appeared to be pseudo first-order with the observed reaction rate constant kobs ($0.1619h^{-1}$) and to be directly proportional to the specific surface area. Therefore, the mesoporous silica with nano zero-valent iron proposed as a novel treatment strategy for contaminated groundwater was successfully implemented herein for the removal of nitrate-nitrogen.

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