Unveiling the Role of Sulfur in Rapid Defluorination of Florfenicol by Sulfidized Nanoscale Zero-Valent Iron in Water under Ambient Conditions

Groundwater contamination by halogenated organic compounds, especially fluorinated ones, threatens freshwater sources globally. Sulfidized nanoscale zero-valent iron (SNZVI), which is demonstrably effective for dechlorination of groundwater contaminants, has not been well explored for defluorination. Here, we show that SNZVI nanoparticles synthesized via a modified post-sulfidation method provide rapid dechlorination (∼1100 μmol m–2 day–1) and relatively fast defluorination (∼6 μmol m–2 day–1) of a halogenated emerging contaminant (florfenicol) under ambient conditions, the fastest rates that have ever been reported for Fe0-based technologies. Batch reactivity experiments, material characterizations, and theoretical calculations indicate that coating S onto the metallic Fe surface provides a highly chemically reactive surface and changes the primary dechlorination pathway from atomic H for nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI) to electron transfer for SNZVI. S and Fe sites are responsible for the direct electron transfer and atomic H-mediated reaction, respectively, and β-elimination is the primary defluorination pathway. Notably, the Cl atoms in florfenicol make the surface more chemically reactive for defluorination, either by increasing florfenicol adsorption or by electronic effects. The defluorination rate by SNZVI is ∼132–222 times higher with chlorine attached compared to the absence of chlorine in the molecule. These mechanistic insights could lead to new SNZVI materials for in situ groundwater remediation of fluorinated contaminants.