Reactivity enhancement of iron sulfide nanoparticles stabilized by sodium alginate: Taking Cr (VI) removal as an example

The widespread distribution of chromium(VI) in the environment leads to groundwater contamination. The use of iron sulfide (FeS) to remove Cr(VI) has therefore been proposed. However, aggregation is one of the main problems associated with the use of FeS nanoparticles prepared by traditional methods In this study, we used sodium alginate (SA) to stabilize FeS nanoparticles (FeS-SA). SA could prevent aggregation of FeS by the concurrent electrostatic repulsion and steric hindrance. Homogeneously dispersed FeS-SA nanoparticles 100 nm in diameter were observed. FeS-SA showed high efficiency in Cr(VI) removal, corresponding to an enhancement of efficiency from 65% (7.50 mmol Cr(VI) per g FeS) to 100% (11.54 mmol Cr per g FeS) relative to that achieved with naked FeS. Analysis of reaction products by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed the co-existence of α-FeOOH, S8, and Cr(OH)3 that apparently were introduced by Fe(II), S(−II), and Cr(VI), respectively. In-depth analysis of the removal mechanism revealed that reduction and adsorption respectively account for 82% and 18% of the Cr removal. In addition, higher pH and CaCl2 concentration resulted in lower removal efficiency. This study provides a promising application of SA in enhancing FeS reactivity for the remediation of groundwater pollution.