Aging and reactivity assessment of nanoscale zerovalent iron in groundwater systems

•Secondary iron phases resulting from NZVI corrosion depend on groundwater type.•NZVI lost reductive activity with aging time in a pure water system.•An enhanced NZVI reactivity observed in GW before a decline at longer aging times.•NZVI products exhibited greater binding capacity towards quinolone antibiotics.•Surface complexation model confirmed the involvement of Fe(II)-bearing minerals.