From a technological point of view, iron (with the chemical symbol Fe ) itself is not very useful. This statement may sound strange but it is that, compared to other metals, pure iron is a very soft metal that oxidizes very easily … Which of course does not improve its mechanical properties. But when iron is melted and mixed with a little carbon, the resulting product when it cools is steel, the material to which we owe much of the spectacular technological advance humanity has experienced over the last century.
But that does not mean that pure iron has no important use, of course.
In recent years, research has begun on the reactivity of iron in order to use this element for the remediation of polluted water with minimal environmental impact and cost. The process consists of reducing iron to particles of nanoscopic size to increase its contact surface with the environment as much as possible and create a barrier with them. When water passes through this barrier, the polluting particles it contains react with iron, sticking to it or breaking down into other less toxic substances. It is an innovative technology but, for now, the high production cost of iron nanoparticles prevents it from becoming a reality on a large scale.
Essential for life
Leaving the world of technology aside, iron plays a vital role in the script that keeps us alive: red blood cells contain iron within them which, by oxidizing easily, allows them to trap absorbed oxygen in the lungs and transport it. to the rest of the body. In fact, the symptoms caused by anemia (the lack of iron in the body) are the result of not enough oxygen reaching the body.
But, if we go to the extreme, it is possible that life would not even have appeared on Earth if it had not been for iron.
Both the solid core of our planet and the liquid outer core are composed mainly of iron. As the outer core moves around the inner core, the liquid material loses electrons and forms an electric potential. When in motion, these electrical charges generate the magnetic field that protects the Earth from the solar wind. Solar wind that, if it did not have that magnetic field in charge of deflecting it, would sweep our atmosphere into space and make our oceans disappear. Interestingly, this is what happened to Mars in the past. And you see how dead its surface was.
