Removal of halogenated organic compounds in landfill gas by top covers containing zero-valent iron

Transformation of gaseous CCl3F and CCl4 by zero-valent iron was studied in systems unsaturated with water under anaerobic conditionssin an N2 gas and in a landfill gas atmosphere. The transformation was studied in batch as well as flow-through column tests. In both systems, the transformation process of the compounds was pseudo-firstorder. Transformation rate constants, referring to the water phase and normalized to 1 m2 iron surface/mL, of up to 1100 mL m-2 h-1 (batch) and 200 mL m-2 h-1 (flowthrough) were found. The transformation was strongly dependent on pH and the presence of oxygen. During continuous aerobic conditions, the transformation of CCl3F decreased toward zero. Model calculations show that use of zero-valent iron in landfill top covers is a potential treatment technology for emission reduction of halogenated trace compounds from landfills.