Persulfate activation via iron sulfide nanoparticles for enhanced trichloroethylene degradation and its applications in groundwater remediation

• Published in: Journal of water process engineering 2024-02, Vol.58, p.104922, Article 104922
• Main Authors: Habib, Mudassir, Ayaz, Tehreem, Ali, Meesam, Xu, Zhiqiang, Zhou, Zhengyuan, Ullah, Siraj, Lyu, Shuguang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ferrous ions; FeS nanoparticles; Reactive oxygen species; Recycling stability; Scavengers
• ISSN: 2214-7144; 2214-7144
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jwpe.2024.104922

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is known for its carcinogenic properties and limited environmental degradation. Therefore, TCE degradation was carried out using a catalyzed system, i.e., an advanced oxidation process (AOP) for an aqueous solution. This study focuses on activating sodium persulfate (PS) by laboratory-synthesized iron sulfide nanoparticles (FeS-NPs) with a particle size of 115.17 nm for enhanced TCE degradation. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analyses were employed to investigate physio-chemical properties and surface morphologies of synthesized FeS-NPs catalyst. PS/FeS-NPs exhibited outstanding performance, achieving a remarkable degradation (99.07 %) of TCE in 60 min of reaction time, surpassing the degradation demonstrated by commercially available PS/FeS (25 %). The dominant involvement of Fe transformation and SO4•ˉ, OH•, and 1O2 radicals in TCE degradation was validated through scavenging and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) investigation. Moreover, the PS/FeS-NPs system was found efficient (97⁓99 %) in both acidic and basic solutions, although it is noteworthy that highly basic (pH 11) mediums may impact the degradation efficiency (13.8 %). Recycling and stability experiments revealed significant efficiency of the PS/FeS-NPs system during the second run (90.02 %) and third run (68.25 %). These core revelations validate the efficiency of FeS-NPs in TCE degradation in an aqueous solution. Conclusively, the PS/FeS-NPs system encouraged TCE degradation outcomes, depicting strong potential for prolonged benefits in the remediation of TCE-polluted water. [Display omitted] •Persulfate was activated by synthesized FeS-NPs to achieve TCE degradation (99 %).•Scavengers and EPR test confirmed that OH•, SO4−•, and 1O2 facilitated degradation.•High level of HCO3ˉ hindered the overall persulfate oxidation of TCE.•The PS/FeS-NPs system is applicable at a wide pH range (pH 3–9).•The system exhibited potential for the remediation of actual groundwater.