GFZ German research centre for geo sciences

Metal-Aid

Horizon2020 Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions Innovative Training Network (MSCA-ITN) “Metal Oxide Aided Subsurface Remediation: From Invention to Injection (Metal-Aid)”

Thousands of sites across Europe are polluted with toxic metals and organic solvents, and many more exist worldwide. As EU population grows, clean water will determine the quality of life and economic stability. Most sites remain contaminated because existing technology is costly and disruptive. Society needs an innovative way to decontaminate soil and groundwater directly underground.

Metal-Aid aims to test, validate and further develop new mineral-based technologies that can be used to decontaminate soils and groundwaters. The Metal-Aid network will consist of 14 interdisciplinary geochemical and mineralogical research projects that will focus on layered double hydroxides (LDHs), and redox-active green rust (GR) phases and sulfidized nanoscale zero-valent iron (S-nZVI) materials for immobilizing toxic metals and degrading chlorinated compounds.

Two PhD students from our research group work within the framework of Metal-Aid and do research on the following two topics:

Sandra Navaz Rubio works on “The effect of green rust compositions and structures on trace metal reduction”.

Jeffrey Paulo H. Perez works on “Green rust formation and reactivity with arsenic species”.

Publications

(authors from the group in bold)

Perez, J., Tobler, D. J., Benning, L. G. (2024): Synergistic inhibition of green rust crystallization by co-existing arsenic and silica. - Environmental Sciences: Processes and Impacts. https://doi.org/10.1039/D3EM00458A

Perez, J., Okhrymenko, M., Blukis, R.Roddatis, V.Mayanna, S., Mosselmans, J. F. W., Benning, L. G. (2023): Vivianite-parasymplesite solid solution: A sink for arsenic in ferruginous environments? - Geochemical Perspectives Letters, 26, 50-56. https://doi.org/10.7185/geochemlet.2325

Caraballo, M. A., Asta, M. P., Perez, J., Hochella, M. F. (2022): Past, present and future global influence and technological applications of iron-bearing metastable nanominerals. - Gondwana Research, 110, 283-304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2021.11.009

Mangayayam, M. C., Perez, J., Alonso-de-Linaje, V., Dideriksen, K., Benning, L. G., Tobler, D. J. (2022): Sulfidation extent of nanoscale zerovalent iron controls selectivity and reactivity with mixed chlorinated hydrocarbons in natural groundwater. - Journal of Hazardous Materials, 431, 128534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128534

Perez, J., Schiefler, A. A., Navaz Rubio, S., Reischer, M., Overheu, N. D., Benning, L. G., Tobler, D. J. (2021): Arsenic removal from natural groundwater using ‘green rust’: Solid phase stability and contaminant fate. - Journal of Hazardous Materials, 401, 123327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123327

Perez, J., Tobler, D. J., Freeman, H. M., Brown, A. P., Hondow, N. S., van Genuchten, C. M., Benning, L. G. (2021): Arsenic species delay structural ordering during green rust sulfate crystallization from ferrihydrite. - Environmental Science: Nano, 8, 10, 2950-2963. https://doi.org/10.1039/D1EN00384D

Perez, J.P.H., Freeman, H.M., Brown, A.P., Van Genuchten, C.M., Dideriksen, K., Tobler, D.J., Benning, L.G. (2020). Direct visualization of arsenic binding on green rust sulfate. Environmental Science & Technology, 4, 6, 3297-3305. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b07092.

Mangayayam, M.C., Perez, J.P.H., Dideriksen, K., Freeman, H., Bovet, N., Benning, L.G., Tobler, D.J. (2019). Structural transformation of sulfidized zerovalent iron and its impact on long-term reactivity. Environmental Science: Nano, 6, 11, 3422-3430. DOI: 10.1039/C9EN00876D.

Perez, J.P.H., Tobler, D.J., Thomas, A.N., Freeman, H., Dideriksen, K., Radnik, J., Benning, L.G. (2019). Adsorption and reduction of arsenate during the Fe2+-induced transformation of ferrihydrite. ACS Earth Space Chemistry, 3, 6, 884-894. DOI: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.9b00031.

Perez, J.P.H., Freeman, H., Schuessler, J.A., Benning, L.G. (2019). The interfacial reactivity of arsenic species with green rust sulfate (GRSO4). Science of the Total Environment, 648, 1161-1170. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.163.

Freeman, H., Perez, J.P.H., Hondow, N., Benning, L.G., Brown, A.P. (2019). Beam-induced oxidation of mixed-valent Fe (oxyhydr)oxides (green rust) monitored by STEM-EELS. Micron, 122, 46-52. DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2019.02.002.

Project Details

Project period: 2016-2020

Funding: Horizon2020 MSCA-ITN (Grant no. 675219)

Link: Metal-Aid on EU's CORDIS database

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