Dechlorination of p-Chlorophenol by Fe-Pd Nanoparticles Promoted by Poly (γ-glutamic acid)–Dopamine Composite

Palladium-doped nanoscale zerovalent iron nanoparticles (Fe-Pd NPs) was fabricated and stabilized by poly (γ-glutamic acid)–Dopamine composite (PGA-DA). The fabricated nanoparticles had high dechlorination activity towards p-Chlorophenol (p-CP). PGA-DA modified Fe-Pd NPs significantly outperformed PGA modified ones in catalytic activities even in weak alkaline condition. Fe-Pd NPs@PGA-DA (10 mg PGA-DA and 0.4 wt% Pd loading) could achieve 100 % p-CP removal within 60 min. It is worth mentioning that the presence of DA alone could overwhelm dechlorination capacity of Fe-Pd NPs toward p-CP. The coordination bonding between catechol and Fe ions was also investigated in detail. This study demonstrated that PGA-DA is a promising modifier and stabilizer for Fe-Pd NPs, which was expected to be applied in real environmental remediation technology.