Zero-Valent Iron Removal Rates of Aqueous Cr(VI) Measured Under Flow Conditions

The rates of Cr(VI) removal from the aqueous phase by zero-valent iron, Fe(0), was measured under flow conditions. The intent of this work was to generate removal rate coefficients that would be applicable to the Reactive Well Technology, a groundwater remediation technology that replaces the sand in a filter pack of a conventional well with a reactive material, such as Fe(0). Dissolved Cr(VI) concentration, dissolved O₂ concentration, and Eh data indicated that Cr(VI) removal from the aqueous phase was mass-transfer limited. All pseudo-first-order regression fits to the data were significant (P≤0.05), however, they did not capture many of the salient aspects of the data, including that the removal rate often decreased as contact time increased. As such, application of these rate coefficients to predict long-term Cr(VI) removal were compromised. The rate coefficients measured under flow conditions were comparable to those measured previously under batch conditions with significantly greater solution:solid ratios. Between the range of 20 and 100 wt-% Fe(0) in the column, there was little measurable change in the reaction kinetics. Thus, it may be possible to include sand into the reactive filter packs in the event it is necessary to increase filter pack porosity or to decrease the accumulation of secondary reaction products that may lead to filter pack plugging. Background water chemistry (0.2 M NaHCO₃, distilled water, and a carbonate-dominated groundwater) had only marginal, if any, effects on reaction rate coefficients. The reaction rates measured in this study indicated that an Fe(0) filter pack could be used to lower Cr(VI) concentrations by several orders of magnitude in a once-through mode of operation of the Reactive Well Technology.