The role of green rust in the environment: a review

Abstract

Iron(II)-iron(III) hydroxy-salts known as green rusts (GRs) initially were identified and studied as corrosion products of steel and iron. Recently they were discovered as minerals present in hydromorphic soils and sediments. Different studies have suggested that GRs, due to their high reactivity, play an important role in the fate and transport of many contaminants in suboxic soils, sediments and aquifers where microbial reduction rates are limited by low carbon content. Also, GRs have considerable potential for applications such as water-purification processes and gas adsorbents. However, as GRs are only a transient state during the reduction of ferric iron and are converted to more stable forms, it is still necessary to continue studies about their behavior.