Carbo-Iron as improvement of the nanoiron technology: From laboratory design to the field test

In a first pilot-scale field test the use of Carbo-Iron® was successfully demonstrated. Carbo-Iron was developed with the goal to overcome significant shortcomings of nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI) for in-situ groundwater remediation. The composite material of colloidal activated carbon and embedded nanoiron structures has been tested for the remediation of a tetrachloroethene (PCE) contaminated field site in Lower Saxony, Germany. The results of the two-step field test confirmed the properties intended by its design and the particle performance achieved in the laboratory experiments. The material showed transport lengths of several metres in the field and fast PCE decomposition with no vinyl chloride formation. Extended longevity of the PCE decrease in the treated area and evidence for microbiological participation were found. Carbo-Iron is now under study in the framework of the EU-project NanoREM where its performance is being further optimized at various scales from laboratory via large-scale tank to field testing. Targeted property adjustment was successful for Carbo-Iron performance in both directions: plume treatment and source attack.