Bentonite decreased the aggregation of nZVI particles and increased their reactivity.
Persulfate had a negligible effect on Cr(VI) reduction in B-nZVI/PS system.
A synergistic effect between Cr(VI) reduction and phenol oxidation was achieved.
A positive correlation between persulfate decomposition and Fe2+ was found.
The intermediate products of both Cr(VI) and phenol were identified.