Cadmium immobilization in river sediment using stabilized nanoscale zero-valent iron with enhanced transport by polysaccharide coating

Abstract Proper management of metal-contaminated sediment plays a key role in sediment recovery and reuse. This study synthesized two kinds of stabilized nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) with starch (S-nZVI) and carboxymethyl cellulose (C-nZVI) for the in situ immobilization of Cd(II) in river sediment and investigated their transport in porous media. Experimental data showed that when the sediment sample was treated with C-nZVI for 56 days at a dosage ranging from 5 to 10 mg/g-sediment as Fe 0 , the TCLP (toxicity characteristic leaching procedure) leachability of Cd(II) in the sediment decreased by 93.75–96.43%, and the PBET (physiologically-based extraction test) bioaccessibility of Cd(II) decreased by 22.79–71.32%. Additionally, the acid soluble fraction of Cd(II) was partially transformed to a residual fraction, resulting in a 32.4–33.1% decrease of acid soluble Cd(II) and a 125.4–205.6% increase of the residual-Cd(II) fraction. Surface complexation with iron oxyhydroxide minerals might be the main mechanism of Cd(II) immobilization in sediment. Column experiments indicate that starch or carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) could extend the travel distance of nZVI, but inherent site physical and chemical heterogeneities still posed challenges for nanoparticle transport. Over all, this study verifies the effectiveness of stabilized nZVI for Cd(II) immobilization in sediment and discusses the potential immobilization mechanism.