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Sulfidated nanoscale zero-valent iron (S-nZVI) has shown excellent removal capacity for the removal of cadmium (Cd) in aqueous phase. Herein, the effectiveness and the mechanism of S-nZVI for the remediation of Cd contaminated soil were investigated for the first time. The results of sequential extraction procedures (SEP) showed that the exchangeable (EX) Cd was decreased by over 97.6% at the optimal dosage of 5 g kg-1 S-nZVI during 30 d incubation and converted to less available Cd such as iron-manganese oxides-bound (OX) and organic matter-bound (OM) fractions. pH has negligible effect on the immobilization of Cd in soil, since OX fraction was stabilized in the range of 72–92% at initial soil pH range from 5.3 to 7.5. SEM-EDS analysis of the separated magnetic particles implied that Cd was successfully enriched on S-nZVI and the distribution of Cd was closely related to Fe, S, and O. CdO and CdS was confirmed as the key products for Cd immobilization in soil. Meanwhile, the S-nZVI was oxided to α-FeOOH, γ-FeOOH, and γ-Fe 2 O 3. The existence of CdO was visibly related to the iron oxides, suggesting the synergetic immobilization effect by iron oxides. Overall, S-nZVI was promising for the remediation of Cd-contaminated soil. [Display omitted] ● S-nZVI could effectively remediate Cd-contaminated soil. ● Exchangeable Cd fraction sharply decreased from 73% to below 1% at 3 h. ● Initial soil pH value showed a slight effect on Cd immobilization by S-nZVI. ● A potential mechanism for Cd immobilization was illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the reaction between sulfidated nanoscale zero-valent iron (S-nZVI) and heavy metal cations as well as the role of sulfur were investigated. The results showed the corrosion products of S-nZVI were lepidocrocite (γ -FeOOH) or/and magnetite (Fe 3 O 4), depending on heavy metal species. While the removal of Hg(II), Ag(I), Cu(II), and Pb(II) by S-nZVI was rapid and could achieve over 99% within 5 mins, the removal of Ni(II) and Zn(II) was low in efficiency and unstable. Sulfur was existed as iron sulfides at fresh S-nZVI, but was displaced by the heavy metals and formed the related sulfide compound, or oxidized to S0 and SO 4 2-. The removal mechanisms are strongly dependent on the solubility product constant (K sp) of metal sulfides. For Hg(II) and Ag(I), with K sp of corresponding metal sulfides much lower than that of iron sulfide, the removal mechanism is the displacement reaction. For Cu(II) and Pb(II), with K sp of corresponding metal sulfides moderately lower than that of iron sulfide, the removal mechanisms are the displacement reaction and complexation with surface groups of S-nZVI. For Zn(II) and Ni(II), whose K sp of corresponding metal sulfides slightly lower than that of iron sulfide, are mainly removed by complexation with surface groups of S-nZVI. ga1 The mechanism between heavy metal cations and sulfidated nanoscale zero-valent iron (S-nZVI) • S-nZVI was highly efficient for the removal of Hg(II), Ag(I), Cu(II), and Pb(II). • The role of sulfur during heavy metal cations removal by S-nZVI was investigated. • The removal mechanisms were significantly related to the metal sulfide K sp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]