Characterization of the uptake of aqueous Ni2+ ions on nanoparticles of zero-valent iron (nZVI)

This study investigates the fixation of aqueous Ni2+ ions by nanoparticles of zero-valent iron (nZVI) prepared using the borohydride reduction method. The uptake of Ni2+ was tested under various experimental conditions like initial concentration, time, pH, and repetitive application of nZVI. Part of the experiments was devoted to comparing the extent of uptake of Ni2+ ions with those of Cu2+, Cd2+, Zn2+, and Sr2+ ions, which belong to a wide range of standard reduction potentials. Particle size analysis of nZVI in aqueous solution indicated that the material suffered extensive aggregation, much above the extent of aggregation known for dry nZVI. Nevertheless, nZVI showed fast uptake kinetics and very high uptake capacity. The overall results demonstrated the high fixation capability of nZVI towards the studied transition metal ions in aqueous solution. The same conclusion is, however, not valid for the removal of Sr2+ ions.