Citation: Yan Zhang, Shuo Chen, Huihui Peng, Ankang Wang, Yiming Sun, Chenying Zhou, Shuang Meng, Chuanshu He, Peng Zhou, Bo Lai. Treatment of nitrogen-contained refractory organic wastewater by micron zero-valent iron based two-stage process: Synergistic contaminant degradation and ammonia nitrogen formation[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(7): 112209. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2025.112209 shu

Treatment of nitrogen-contained refractory organic wastewater by micron zero-valent iron based two-stage process: Synergistic contaminant degradation and ammonia nitrogen formation

Yan Zhang ^{a, b} ,
Shuo Chen ^{a, b} ,
Huihui Peng ^{a, b, c} ,
Ankang Wang ^{a, b} ,
Yiming Sun ^{a, b} ,
Chenying Zhou ^{a, b} ,
Shuang Meng ^{a, b} ,
Chuanshu He ^{a, b} ,
Peng Zhou ^{a, b, *,} ,
Bo Lai ^{a, b, *,}

a.
State Key Laboratory of Hydraulics and Mountain River Engineering, College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
b.
Sino-German Centre for Water and Health Research, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
c.
College of Environmental Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China

zhoup1219@sina.com

laibo@scu.edu.cn

Received Date: 2 October 2025
Revised Date: 1 December 2025
Accepted Date: 2 December 2025
Available Online: 4 December 2025

Figures(8)

The treatment of nitrogen-contained refractory organic wastewater faces challenges due to complex composition and high toxicity. While microscale zero-valent iron (mZVI) based processes enable simultaneous removal of organic contaminants and nitrate (NO₃⁻-N), electron competition and excessive iron sludge generation limit efficiency. This study reveals the dual roles of NO₃⁻-N in the mZVI/O₂ process: Inhibiting the oxidative removal of organic contaminants through electron competition and simultaneously enhancing iron dissolution with T_Fe increased by 17.5% to 65.7% compared to the system without NO₃⁻-N. Nitrogen conversion analysis indicates that NO₃⁻-N is mainly converted to NH₄⁺-N via a direct 8-electron reduction pathway. To increase the utilization efficiency of iron electrons and enhance organic contaminant removal, a two-stage gradient oxidation process (mZVI/O₂-Fenton) is designed: 1^st stage utilizes NO₃⁻-N to enhance Fe⁰ corrosion for NO₃⁻-N reduction and Fe(II) release, while 2^nd stage achieves efficient organic contaminants degradation via Fenton reaction with addition of H₂O₂. Actual wastewater validation confirms synergistic high organic contaminants removal (COD removal > 79.5%) and targeted nitrogen conversion (> 66.4% NO₃⁻-N to NH₄⁺-N). The study overcomes electron competition limitations in the mZVI/O₂ process and provides a synergistic pollution control-resource recovery strategy for NO₃⁻-N-contained refractory organic wastewaters.
- Microscale zero-valent iron,
- Nitrogen transformation,
- Refractory organic wastewater,
- Ammonia nitrogen formation,
- Two-stage gradient oxidation process
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