Field Deployable Chemical Redox Probe for Quantitative Characterization of Carboxymethylcellulose Modified Nano Zerovalent Iron.

Nano zerovalent iron synthesized with carboxymethylcelluose (CMC-nZVI) is among the leading formulations of nZVI currently used for in situ groundwater remediation. The main advantage of CMC-nZVI is that it forms stable suspensions, which are relatively mobile in porous media. Rapid contaminant reduction by CMC-nZVI is well documented, but the fate of the CMC-nZVI (including “aging” and “reductant demand”) is not well characterized. Improved understanding of CMC-nZVI fate requires methods with greater specificity for Fe(0), less vulnerability to sampling/recovery artifacts, and more practical application in the field. These criteria can be met with a simple and specific colorimetric approach using indigo-5,5′-disulfonate (I2S) as a chemical redox probe (CRP). The measured stoichiometric ratio for reaction between I2S and nZVI is 1.45 ± 0.03, suggesting complete oxidation of nZVI to Fe(III) species. However, near pH 7, reduction of I2S is diagnostic for Fe(0), because aqueous Fe(II) reduces I2S much more s...