Effect of palladium on the reductive dechlorination of chlorinated ethylenes with nanoscale Pd/Fe particles

Direct injection of nanoscale iron particles represents a promising technology for in-situ groundwater remediation. Nanoscale Pd/Fe particles have been shown an excellent performance for degradation of a wide array of contaminants in groundwater. The objective of this study is to investigate the nature of palladium on the reductive dechlorination of chlorinated ethylenes using nanoscale Pd/Fe particles. Kinetics analysis indicated that nanoscale Pd/Fe particles increased dechlorination rates by 1–2 orders of magnitude compared to nanoscale Fe particles alone. XRD analysis and activation energy measurement suggested that the increase of reaction rates can be attributed to the catalytic property of palladium.