Efficient Reduction of Trichloroethylene by a Stainless-Steel Anode Corrosion Product

Abstract

Efficient trichloroethylene (TCE) dechlorination is crucial for mitigating water pollution. This study demonstrates that stainless-steel anode corrosion products (SSACP) effectively reduce TCE. Comparing with zero valent iron, green rust, and iron anode corrosion product, SSACP [44 mM Fe(II)] followed higher pseudo-first-order kinetics with a TCE reduction rate constant of 8.21 h−1 in 24 h with a TCE concentration of ∼15 μM. SSACP mainly consists of amorphous metal hydroxide, including Fe, Cr, and Ni. The TCE reduction rate increases significantly with pH value and SSACP dosage. Due to the presence of Ni, the electron transfer efficiency is greatly improved, which is the key for rapid dehalogenation of TCE. Meanwhile, ferrous hydroxide has coagulation and precipitation to control the dissolution of metal elements. The SSACP system showed excellent TCE removal efficiency in groundwater remediation.