PolyMetallix, Nanoscale Iron for In Situ Environmental Remediation Projects

Reactivity Assessment of PolyMetallix Nanoscale Iron
January 2005

Lehigh University and the Whitman Companies, Inc. recently performed a characterization evaluation and reactivity assessment on Polyflon's PolyMetallix material product number NSPP-GAM2M. This is Polyflon's nZVI material that is currently on the market for in situ environmental remediation projects. The PolyMetallix material was analyzed and compared to another commercially available zero valent iron, produced by Toda Kogyo Corp. of Japan. The PolyMetallix particles exhibited a smaller median particle size (250 nanometers vs. 390 nanometers), as compared to the Toda iron. The PolyMetallix material exhibited a slightly negative zeta potential compared to a slightly positive surface potential for the Toda product. This quality indicates that the PolyMetallix material has a better potential to be more easily transported in the subsurface as the negative surface charge of most aquifer solids would tend to repel the material. In degradation tests for trichloroethene (TCE) and lindane, the PolyMetallix material exhibited superior reactivity and was significantly more effective than the Toda iron in degrading these two common organic compounds. As a result of this assessment, the PolyMetallix material is believed to be the most reactive and effective nanoscale zero valent iron on the market today. Click here to download the entire reactivity assessment report.