Preparation of stabilized nano zero-valent iron particles via a rheological phase reaction method and their use in dye decolourization.

In this study, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (NaCMC)-stabilized nano zero-valent iron (C-nZVI) was synthesized using a rheological phase reaction method. The orthogonal method was used to evaluate the factors influencing C-nZVI properties and this showed that the reaction time, solid-liquid ratio (w/v), grinding time and NaCMC concentration were all important factors. Characterization with scanning electron microscopy validated the hypothesis that the introduction of CMC led to a decrease in aggregation of iron nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction confirmed the existence of Fe(0) and the strong antioxidant activity of the iron particles. Batch decolourization experiments exhibited that solution pH, C-nZVI dosage and reaction time have significant effects on dye decolourization. A high decolourization efficiency (94.5%) was obtained within 30 min for 100 mg/L of reactive blue-19 at the optimal pH value of 5 and C-nZVI loading of 6 g/L at room temperature. The decolourization rates followed modified pseudo-first-order kinetic equations with respect to dye concentration. The observed removal rate constant was 0.0447 min(-1) for the C-nZVI loading of 6 g/L.