Transport, Targeting, and Applications of Metallic Functional Nanoparticles for Degradation of DNAPL Chlorinated Organic solvents

摘要

The goals of this project have been to synthesize reactive metal colloids capable of: (1) reductively degrading chlorinated solvents, (2) being transported in porous media, and (3) partitioning from aqueous to non-aqueous solvents or accumulating at water/organic solvent interfaces. This project addresses the need for methods to efficiently remove or degrade dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) contaminants, and that act as long-term sources of groundwater contamination through slow solubilization. This project builds on a general particle-based approach to subsurface contaminant remediation that has been demonstrated by others in the successful degradation of chlorinated compounds dissolved in groundwater using Fe(0) colloids. Delivering reactive particles directly to the surface of the DNAPL will decompose the pollutant into benign materials, reduce the migration of pollutant during treatment, possibly lead to encapsulation of the DNAPL, and reduce the time needed to remove residual pollution by other means, such as natural attenuation. Specific research challenges include: Synthesis of reactive particles that can be deployed in aqueous environments, modification of the particle surfaces, and modeling the transport behavior in porous media containing pendant chlorinated solvent.