| In recent years, the role and contribution of nanoscale zero-valent iron in eco-environmental protection and pollution control is growing due to its large surface areas and high surface reactivity; in the meantime, more and more attention has been paid to nanoscale zero-valent iron as a new technology that could provide cost-effective solution for remediation and treatment of contaminated soils and water. There have been many articles about remediation of contaminated water and groundwater using nanoscale zero-valent iron, but few work was focused on application of nanoscale zero-valent iron to contaminated soil remediation. In this review, the recent development in both laboratory and pilot studies on nanoscale zero-valent iron and its application to environmental remediation was assessed. We summarized methods to enhance iron nanoparticle reactivity, stability and subsurface mobility, such as polymer-coating iron nanoparticles, carbon-supported iron nanoparticles and CMC-stabilized iron nanoparticles, in particular, transformation and detoxification of a wide variety of common environmental contaminants, including heavy metals, inorganic salts and organic pollutants. In the next, we focused on application of nanoscale zero-valent iron and its modified materials to contaminated soil remediation, and discussed the factors affecting the remediation efficiency. The transport and mobility of these nanoparticles in the environment as well as their potential ecotoxicological effects were also briefly discussed. What more, their future application directions were forecasted for the reference of future research on nanoscale zero-valent iron. |
