Nanoscale iron oxyhydroxides, which are ubiquitous in surface aqueous systems, can act as effective sorbents for dissolved metals due to their chemical reactivity, small size and high surface area which allow them to efficiently sequester ions from the aqueous and into the solid phase. However, they also rapidly aggregate under natural geochemical conditions, thus impacting their metal sorption capabilities in complex ways. The broad range of particle aggregation mechanisms and states possible in the environment, in addition to widely variable exposure/reaction times and other environmental factors (such as the increase in salinity associated with the transition from fresh water to seawater), substantially increase the variety of interactions between metal ions and nanoparticle aggregates.<br/> <br/>Glenn Waychunas has long been at the forefront of investigations into nanoscale iron oxyhydroxide surface chemistry, reactivity, and structure, and has made wide-ranging and deeply impactful contributions to this area of study.  In this presentation, titled after one of his foundational publications on the topic, we review advances made in the characterization of nanoscale iron oxyhydroxides through investigations by Glenn, his collaborators, and colleagues.  Their application of macroscopic batch experiments, kinetic rate measurements, and spectroscopic analyses using synchrotron X-rays have informed our understanding of metal(loid) ion sorption/desorption processes associated with aggregated and dispersed iron oxyhydroxide nanoparticles that inform potential applied remediation strategies in contaminated systems.<br/>

Nanoscale iron hydroxides: Unique properties and contaminant scavenging mechanisms (a brief history)

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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