Electrochemical and Raman spectroscopic studies of the influence of chlorinated solvents on the corrosion behaviour of iron in borate buffer and in simulated groundwater

The remediation, by contact with granular iron, of groundwater contaminated with chlorinated halocarbons necessitates a flow of electrons at the iron/solution interface. To refine our understanding of the mechanism and kinetics of the charge transfer process, electrochemical and spectroscopic measurements were performed on iron electrodes in borate buffer and in simulated groundwater solutions of calcium carbonate and potassium bromide, before and after exposure to carbon tetrachloride. The results of these measurements highlighted the combined influence of the organic contaminant and inorganic ions on the corrosion behaviour of iron as well as on the nature of the films formed in their presence.