Zero Valent Iron (ZVI)

Zero Valent Iron Supplier

Orders for zero valent iron come to us at every scale, and the two ends of that range tell you most of what you need to know about how we work. Hepure has supplied as little as one pound for laboratory testing and over 4,000,000 pounds for a single project — and both required the same thing: a clear understanding of the project’s requirements and the trucking logistics to match.

Samples are typically provided in 1- and 5-pound sizes. For pilot testing, 100 lb bags and 1,000 lb barrels are available. Typical project deliveries ship in 2,205 lb super sacks. Small projects are served from domestic supply; for larger programs we import full containers (40,000 lb) that can be brought into any domestic or international port, cutting the trucking cost of final delivery. In 2022 alone, nearly 1,000 tons of ZVI went to more than 15 projects in the U.S. and internationally.

What is Zero Valent Iron?

Zero valent iron (ZVI) powders are metallic iron particles capable of treating chlorinated solvents abiotically — avoiding the production of harmful daughter products such as DCE and vinyl chloride. ZVI’s use as an in situ chemical reductant has grown with advances in application methods: with smaller particle sizes and more sophisticated injection equipment, ZVI powder is now routinely injected into source areas and hard-to-reach zones where a conventional permeable reactive barrier isn’t feasible. For sites that want chemical reduction and bioremediation from one injection, Hepure also offers Ferox Plus emulsified zero valent iron (eZVI).

Why Ferox Zero Valent Iron

Since entering the environmental remediation market in 2000, Hepure’s Ferox reactive iron powders have become the most widely used micron-scale iron powders in the market, with documented successful outcomes at more than 150 sites across North America.

• Cost-effective — the best value for reactivity and longevity compared with chemical oxidants
• Safe — contains no harmful chemicals and is safer to handle than oxidants
• Long-term treatment — 3 to 15 years of longevity from a single application
• Sustainable — Ferox is produced from recycled iron cuttings that would otherwise go to landfill
• Destroys contaminants with no toxic end products — an abiotic reaction that leaves no intermediate byproducts such as dichloroethene (DCE) or vinyl chloride
• Synergistic with bioremediation — conditions the aquifer for ongoing biological treatment without introducing bio-toxic chemicals or unfavorable pH
• Not subject to soil oxidant demand (SOD) — as a reductant, ZVI isn’t consumed by the natural oxidant demand that limits ISCO dosing; background geochemistry still factors into longevity, which is why we model it in barrier design

Quality: Not All Iron Powders Are the Same

Hepure’s reactive iron powders are produced from high-quality cast iron feedstock using a proprietary grinding and pulverizing method, creating powders suitable for the most demanding remediation environments. Quality assurance testing is performed at every stage of production, from raw material selection through packaging. The difference shows up in the numbers — this is Ferox PRB against a leading competitor’s barrier iron:

Analysis	Hepure Ferox PRB	Leading Competitor
Mesh size: 20/60	96%	84%
Mesh size: >60	4%	16%
Iron	95.48%	94.36%
Sulfur	0.08%	0.56%
Carbon	2.10%	2.13%
Density (g/cm³)	2.92	2.8
Color	Gray metallic	Black metallic
Oil	0% — no oil smell, none visible under microscope	1% — oil smell, oil visible under microscope

Detailed kinetics studies have shown that Hepure’s Ferox iron powders deliver exceptional value: when TCE degradation rate constants are normalized to mass or surface area, Ferox Flow gave the most favorable results for the degradation of chlorinated volatile organic compounds — more than twice the activity of leading competitors’ iron powders. In an independent evaluation performed in his laboratories, Dr. Paul G. Tratnyek — Professor at Oregon Health & Science University and a leading researcher on ZVI reactive iron — noted that the rates of TCE degradation from the column experiments were “surprisingly consistent with previously published work,” and that “Ferox Flow gave the most favorable results of the ZVIs tested in this study.”

Pathways for Contaminant Reduction

Zero valent iron reduces chlorinated compounds to harmless components. The general reaction (R = organic group):

2 Fe⁰ + R–Cl + 3 H₂O → 2 Fe²⁺ + R–H + 3 OH⁻ + H₂ + Cl⁻

Chlorinated compounds are reduced by three routes: (1) direct reduction at the metal surface in the presence of a proton donor; (2) continuation of that reaction through further oxidation of Fe²⁺ to Fe³⁺; and (3) reaction with the hydrogen gas produced as iron corrodes in water:

(1) Fe⁰ + R–Cl + H⁺ → Fe²⁺ + R–H + Cl⁻
(2) 2 Fe²⁺ + R–Cl + H⁺ → 2 Fe³⁺ + R–H + Cl⁻
(3) Fe⁰ + 2 H₂O → Fe²⁺ + H₂ + 2 OH⁻
(4) H₂ + R–Cl → R–H + H⁺ + Cl⁻

In estimating the amount of ZVI a site needs, the reaction of iron with dissolved oxygen (5), water (3), and other oxidized constituents such as nitrate and sulfate must also be accounted for:

(5) 2 Fe⁰ + 4 H⁺ + O₂ → 2 Fe²⁺ + 2 H₂O

Beyond direct reduction, ZVI removes contaminants two more ways: metals adsorb onto iron corrosion products at the particle surface, and the anaerobic conditions ZVI creates encourage the microorganisms that drive further biological degradation. See a barrier doing all three in our ZVI PRB case study, and the full list of what ZVI can treat.

Common Questions

Which Ferox grade do I need? Roughly: granular Ferox PRB for trenched barriers and soil mixing; fine Ferox Flow or Ferox Target powders for injection; Ferox Plus where you want iron and electron donor from one injection. The grade decision usually comes down to injectability versus longevity — see how particle size is measured, or call and describe your delivery method.

How much can you supply, and how fast? One pound to millions of pounds, from domestic stock or imported containers. Lead time depends on quantity and port; tell us the mobilization date and we’ll work backward from it.

Does ZVI treat PFAS or PCBs? Both are research-stage for ZVI — promising bench results, not yet standard full-scale practice. Our FAQ on ZVI, PCBs, and PFAS gives the current picture; for PFAS, see today’s field-practical techniques.

Call 866-727-4776 — Pat Randall (x1) in the West, Bob Kelley, Ph.D. (x2) in the East — or request more information for product selection, quantity estimates, and application design.