Authors: Xia Feng, Wenhua Dong, Chaohuang Chen, Yi Liu, Zhiyu Pan, Yiman Gao, Xiaohong Hu, Du Chen, Daohui Lin, Lizhong Zhu, Jiang Xu
Published: 2025-03-13
Source: Full article
AbstractLattice sulfur‐impregnated nanoscale zerovalent iron (S‐nFe0) has been recognized as a promising groundwater remediation agent. However, little information is available on its reactivity with ubiquitous extracellular antibiotic resistance genes (eARGs) in anaerobic groundwater, and how S content and speciation affect their interactions. Here, the efficient anaerobic degradation of eARGs by S‐nFe0 (6 log within 5 min), resulting in completely inhibited transformation is showed. The removal rate of eARGs by S‐nFe0 (0.26 mg m−2 min−1) is correlated well with the S‐induced hydrophobicity and electron transfer ability of materials, and this reactivity improvement (up to 22‐fold) compared to nFe0 largely depended on the S content and speciation. Multiple measurements are applied to verify the degradation of eARGs and their interactions with materials, where Fe−O−P coordination, hydrophobic interaction, and electron transfer play critical roles. The application potential of S‐nFe0 is strongly supported by their long‐term reactivity and stability in real groundwater and universal reactivity with multiple eARGs. These findings elucidate the mechanistic role of lattice S in the degradation of eARGs by S‐nFe0, unveil binding sites and interactions between eARGs and S‐nFe0, and will advance understanding toward better design of S‐nFe° for eARGs‐contaminated groundwater remediation.