Effect of Zero-Valent Iron on the Anaerobic Biodegradation of 2,4-Dichlorophenol and 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol

Abstract

The experiment was conducted to examine the effect of zero-valent iron (Fe⁰) on the anaerobic biodegradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol. To reveal the mechanism of action in Fe⁰ + cell system, the corrosion products of Fe⁰ under anaerobic condition was also investigated. The results showed that, the addition of Fe⁰ stimulated the 2,4-dichlorophenol and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol degradation effectively compared to the individual biotic cell use. The 2,4-dichlorophenol and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol was complete degraded inFe⁰ + cell system. Fe⁰ had some chemical reduction to 2,4-dichlorophenol and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol and that reduced the toxicity of contaminants to the microorganism. The pH in “Fe⁰ + cell” system was higher than that of the biotic cell system. The corrosion of Fe⁰ produced OH^– and balanced the organic acid effectively. The corrosion products of Fe⁰ contained a majority of ferrous iron under anaerobic conditions and the production of ferric irons was relatively less.