National University of General San Martín, Argentina
Iron-based nanomaterials
are increasingly used in environmental applications. Different types of
iron-based nanomaterials, namely, zerovalent iron nanoparticles, nanoparticles
of iron oxides, and nanoparticles prepared from iron salts and natural extracts
by green procedures, are briefly indicated in this presentation, together with
their preparation, characterization, and applications in the treatment of
pollutants in water, with emphasis on the works performed in the last 10 years.
In terms of preparation, top-down procedures such as mechanical milling,
nanolithography, laser ablation, sputtering, and thermal decomposition, and
bottom-up methods such as chemical synthesis, sol-gel, spinning, chemical vapor
deposition (CVD), pyrolysis, and biosynthesis are indicated for nanoparticle
production. The most commonly used nanomaterials are inorganic nanoparticles
based on metal and metal oxides and, among them, iron-based materials have been
widely used in the removal of pollutants in water. Among pollutants,
halogenated organics, nitroaromatics, pesticides, dyes, antibiotics,
halogenated aromatics, phenolic compounds, PCBs, inorganic anions such as
nitrate and heavy metals and metalloids (e.g., Hg, Pb, Cr, Cu, As, Ni, Zn, Cd,
and Ag); radioisotopes of Ba, TcO4, and U, and antibacterial
activity against Gram-positive and negative bacteria have been successfully
treated. In some cases, iron-based nanoparticles have been combined with H2O2
in Fenton processes. In this presentation, examples of emergent
contaminants are specially discussed. The
advantages of using these materials and the need for their improvement to
extend their deployment are remarked.
Litter is Dr. in
Chemistry (Buenos Aires University, Argentina), with postdoctorate at the
University of Arizona, USA. She is a Senior Researcher at the National Research
Council and a Full Professor and Consultant at the National University of San
Martín (Argentina). She has more than 250 publications in journals, books, and
book chapters. She received the Mercosur Prize (2006 and 2011), the Charreau
Prize for Regional Scientific-Technological Cooperation, the Prize for Latin
American Women in Chemistry (2021), the Houssay Prize (2022), the Konex Diploma
and the Konex Platinum Prize (2023). She is a Member of TWAS, ACAL, and the
Argentine Academy of Environmental Sciences.