The potential for the development and the application of magnetic particle technology to environmental and wildlife remediation has been explored. Initial studies have been carried out on the ability of iron particles with polyethylene (PE) or polyvinylchloride (PVC) to magnetically
harvest various contaminants. In this context, methods have been developed for the production of research quantities of particles of different sizes and with various textures. The pick up characteristics for a variety of contaminants have been experimentally and theoretically investigated. In particular, a mathematical model for the characteristic adsorption isotherm has been developed and several efficiency parameters have been defined. The effects of the nature of the substrate from which the contaminant is removed and the contaminant hydrophobicity and viscosity have also been investigated. The ability of PE and PVC coated particles in the remediation of soil contaminated with various pesticides has been explored. Uncoated iron
particles have also been found to be effective in the remediation of various contaminants. In particular, iron powder was found to be almost 100% effective in the magnetic harvesting of various contaminants from a glass substrate.