Preparation of nanoscale zero-valent iron supported on chelating resin with nitrogen donor atoms for simultaneous reduction of Pb2+ and NO3-

Polymeric ion exchanger has been proven to be an excellent carrier for metal nanoparticles due to chemical stability and robust mechanical strength. However, polymeric ion exchanger containing non-diffusible negatively or positively charged groups can only permit cation or anion contaminants to permeate into the polymer phase due to Donnan exclusion effect. In this study, zero-valent iron nanoparticles (NZVI) were immobilized within a chelating resin DOW 3N with pyridine functional groups through NaBH4 reduction. TEM indicated that Fe-0 particles were clearly discrete and well dispersed on the surface of DOW 3N with grain size ranging from 10 to 30 nm. The reduction ability of NZVI-DOW 3N for Pb2+, NO3- and their mixture were evaluated, respectively. The results showed that NO3- and Pb2+ can be reduced efficiently. In a binary solution, the removal efficiencies of NO3- and Pb2+ can reach 87% and 97%, respectively. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.