Nano scale zero valent iron production methods applied to contaminated sites remediation: An overview of production and environmental aspects

The nano scale zero valent iron (nZVI) is the most used material in the remediation process. The inclusion of sustainability in the remediation process has also been gaining prominence. Sustainable remediation seeks to consider the environmental, economic and social impacts of remediation. Thus, this article aims to: (i) identify and describe nZVI production methods and (ii) evaluate their environmental aspects. Thus, this research was carried out in two stages. The first consisted of systematic bibliographical research to identify and describe nZVI production methods. In the second stage, an environmental analysis of the methods was performed considering the methodology of life cycle inventory assessment. Based on the inventory analysis, a classification of environmental aspects was performed, which included criteria, icons and a color scale. Nine nZVI production methods were identified, which comprised different technologies and processes. All methods had negative environmental aspects, such as high energy consumption, waste, wastewater generation and atmospheric emissions. In the classification of methods with regard to environmental aspects, the milling method had the best score, and the ultrasonic wave method the worst. Overall, this study contributes significantly to the detailed knowledge of nZVI synthesis methods in relation to production processes and their environmental aspects.

Automated summary

The nano scale zero valent iron (nZVI) is widely used in remediation processes, with a growing emphasis on sustainable remediation. A study identified nine nZVI production methods, with the milling method scoring the best in terms of environmental aspects and the ultrasonic wave method scoring the worst.