Novel iron metal matrix composite reinforced by quartz sand for the effective dechlorination of aqueous 2-chlorophenol

In this work, we tested a novel iron metal matrix composite (MMC) synthesized by mechanically introducing quartz sand (SiO2) into an iron matrix (denoted as SiO2-Fe MMC). The pseudo-first-order reaction rate constant of the SiO2 Fe MMC (initial pH 5.0) for 20 mg/L of 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) was 0.051 x 10(-3) L/m(2)/min, which was even higher than that of some reported Pd/Fe bimetals. This extraordinary high activity was promoted by the quick iron dissolution rate, which was caused by the formation of Fe-C internal electrolysis from carbonization of process control agent (PCA) and the active reinforcement/metal interfaces during the milling process. In addition, pH has slight effect on the dechlorination rate. The SiO2 Fe MMC retained relatively stable activity, still achieving 71% removal efficiency for 2-CP after six consecutive cycles. The decrease in dechlorination efficiency can be attributed to the rapid consumption of Fe. A dechlorination mechanism using the SiO2 Fe MMC was proposed by a direct electron transfer from Fe to 2-CP at the quartz sand/iron interface. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.