Reduction of Nitrobenzene in Aqueous Media by Fe-Al Bimetallic Material

Nitrobenzene is a toxic agent, that must be treated before discharging to environmental media. One of the methods to treat nitrobenzene is its reduction into amine compounds with zero-valent iron. During the reduction, the iron surface can appear as a passive film that decreases the nitrobenzene reduction. To overcome this phenomenon, many novel materials such as zero-valent bimetals like Pd-Fe, Cu-Fe, and Cu-Al have recently been shown to have enhanced reactivity toward destroying passive layers compared to ZVI. In this study, Fe-Al powder was used for nitrobenzene reduction. Optimal conditions for nitrobenzene to amine products, such as the ratio of Fe/Al, pH, and reaction time were established.