Cleaning the Environment with Iron Nanoparticles

Roland Piquepaille writes "In "Nanoscale Iron Could Help Cleanse the Environment," the National Science Foundation (NSF) reports that "nanoscale" powder made from iron could be used to clean contaminated soil and water. "Iron's cleansing power stems from the simple fact that it rusts. When metallic iron oxidizes in the presence of contaminants, these organic molecules get caught up in the reactions and broken down into simple carbon compounds that are far less toxic." Using this technology, cleaning landfills or industrial sites would cost about $5 per square meter. More details are available in this summary, including other links and a diagram showing how the method works."

Comments

Why doesn't this already occur?

[El]

Isn't there already lots of iron at these sites? Is the problem that we're not grinding it up finely first?

Iron can be toxic

[kelleher]

Iron Poisoning is one of the most frequent causes of poisoning death in children.