Brumovský Miroslav, Tunega Daniel
University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Department of Forest- and Soil Sciences, Institute of Soil Research, Peter-Jordan-Straße 82, 1190 Vienna, Austria.
J Phys Chem C Nanomater Interfaces. 2024 Feb 28;128(10):4180-4191. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.4c00865. eCollection 2024 Mar 14.
Sulfidated nano- and microscale zero-valent iron (S-(n)ZVI) has shown enhanced selectivity and reactive lifetime in the degradation of chlorinated ethenes (CEs) compared to pristine (n)ZVI. However, varying effects of sulfidation on the dechlorination rates of structurally similar CEs have been reported, with the underlying mechanisms remaining poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the -dichloroelimination reactions of tetrachloroethene (PCE), trichloroethene (TCE), -1,2-dichloroethene (-DCE), and -1,2-dichloroethene (-DCE) at the S and Fe sites of several S-(n)ZVI surface models by using density functional theory. Dechlorination reactions were both kinetically and thermodynamically more favorable at Fe sites compared to S sites, indicating that maintaining the accessibility of reactive Fe sites is crucial for achieving high S-(n)ZVI reactivity with contaminants. At Fe sites adjacent to S atoms, the reactivity for CE dechlorination followed the order -DCE ≈ TCE > -DCE > PCE. PCE degradation was hindered at these sites due to the steric effects of S atoms. At the S sites, the energy barriers correlated with the CEs' energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital in the order PCE < TCE < DCE isomers. Our findings reveal that the experimentally observed selectivity of S-(n)ZVI materials for individual CEs can be explained by an interplay of the varying reactivities of Fe and S sites in CE dechlorination reactions.
与原始的纳米零价铁((n)ZVI)相比,硫化的纳米和微米级零价铁(S-(n)ZVI)在降解氯乙烯(CEs)方面表现出更高的选择性和反应寿命。然而,已有报道称硫化对结构相似的CEs脱氯速率有不同影响,其潜在机制仍知之甚少。在本研究中,我们通过密度泛函理论研究了几种S-(n)ZVI表面模型的硫(S)和铁(Fe)位点上四氯乙烯(PCE)、三氯乙烯(TCE)、顺式-1,2-二氯乙烯(c-DCE)和反式-1,2-二氯乙烯(t-DCE)的脱二氯消除反应。与S位点相比,Fe位点上的脱氯反应在动力学和热力学上都更有利,这表明保持活性Fe位点的可及性对于实现S-(n)ZVI与污染物的高反应性至关重要。在与S原子相邻的Fe位点上,CE脱氯的反应活性顺序为t-DCE≈TCE>c-DCE>PCE。由于S原子的空间效应,PCE在这些位点的降解受到阻碍。在S位点上,能垒与CEs最低未占分子轨道的能量相关,顺序为PCE<TCE<DCE异构体。我们的研究结果表明,实验观察到的S-(n)ZVI材料对单个CEs的选择性可以通过CE脱氯反应中Fe和S位点不同反应活性的相互作用来解释。