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Publication
Evaluating the effectiveness of nanotechnology in environmental remediation of a highly metal-contaminated area—Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
A column experiment at a laboratory level was carried out to assess the effect of the
application of nanotechnology in the decontamination of soils and alluvial deposits with high levels
of potentially toxic elements (PTEs). A suspension of zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) was
injected at three different concentrations in selected samples (two sediments, one soil). For most of the
elements, the retention by nZVI was proportional to the concentration of the suspension and the trend
was similar. Metals were immobilized by adsorption on the surface layer of the nanoparticles and/or
by complexation, co-precipitation, and chemical reduction. By day 60 following injection, the nZVI
lost reactivity and the retained species were desorbed and back into the soluble phase. The definition
of spatial patterns for PTEs’ distribution allowed for the construction of contamination risk maps
using a geostatistical simulation approach. The analysis obtained from the extractable contents of five
target elements (Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb, As) was cross-checked with the estimated map network to assess
their retention efficiency. Data from the analysis of these elements, in the extractable phase and in the
porewater of the sediments/soils, indicate the nZVI injection as a suitable technique for reducing the
risk level of PTEs in contaminated Fe-rich tropical environments.
Description
Keywords
metal contaminants nanoparticles of zero-valent iron laboratory scale experiment metals adsorption sequential gaussian simulation
Pedagogical Context
Citation
FONSECA, Rita [et al.] (20229 _ Evaluating the effectiveness of nanotechnology in environmental remediation of a highly metal-contaminated area—Minas Gerais, Brazil. Geosciences. Vol. 12:8, p.287. DOI 10.3390/geosciences12080287
Publisher
MDPI