Environmental Engineering

Phosphorus (P) is a crucial, limited resource responsible for sustaining food supply globally. However, P-discharge from agricultural runoff and wastewater treatment plant into water bodies contributes to eutrophication and the proliferation of harmful algal blooms, substantially threatening aquatic ecosystems. Several studies have demonstrated that metal-cation-containing materials like metal oxides, hydroxides and carbonates show great potential for P-capture and are emerging as a noteworthy category suitable for commercial and industrial applications in P-recovery.

Zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) are highly effective in removing numerous contaminants from water, as they combine the reducing action of metallic iron with adsorption and coprecipitation mechanisms. The traditional synthesis method for nZVI involves the reduction of Fe(II) and Fe(III) salts with sodium borohydride. Given the need to optimize the synthesis protocol for scalability, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) emerges as a useful tool with the potential to identify critical stages, enabling the minimization of environmental impacts from both production and remediation processes.