Since 2001, the National Engineering Research Center for
Urban Pollution Control at Tongji University has undertaken
a major research and development project to investigate the
technical and economic feasibility of iron shavings for the
enhanced treatment of industrial process wastes. We have
examined the reactivity of iron shavings as a substitute for
conventional iron powders in the transformation of a wide
variety of recalcitrant organic pollutants. Particularly, the
reactions of iron shavings with three groups of organic
pollutantsschlorinated aliphatic compounds, organic dyes,
and nitroaromatic compoundsshave been investigated.
Those compounds are pollutants commonly found in wastes
from petrochemical, textile, and pharmaceutical industries.
A series of pilot- and full-scale experiments has been
completed to advance the ZVI reactor design, fabrication,
operation, and maintenance. The effect of ZVI pretreatment
on microbial growth and biodegradation has been the theme
of several recent dissertations. Ongoing research alsoincludes
the investigation of ZVI for treatment of emerging persistent
organic compounds such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers
(PBDEs) and perfluorinated compounds (PFCs).