Abstract
The present study was conducted to investigate the adsorption potential of red mud for fluoride removal. Different operation parameters such as the effect of contact time, initial concentration, pH, competing anions, seawater, adsorbent dose amount, and adsorbent mixture were studied. Nearly 3 hr was required to reach sorption equilibrium. Equilibrium sorption data were described well by Langmuir model and the maximum adsorption capacity of red mud was 5.28 mg/g. The fluoride adsorption at pH 3 was higher than in the pH range 5-9. The presence of anions such as sulfate, nitrate, phosphate, and bicarbonate had no significant effect on fluoride adsorption onto red mud. The fluoride removal by red mud was greater in seawater than deionized water, resulting from the presence of calcium and magnesium ion in seawater. The use of red mud alone was more effective for the removal of fluoride than mixing red mud with other industrial waste such as oyster shells, lime stone, and steel slag. This study showed that red mud has a potential application in the remediation of fluoride contaminated soil and groundwater.
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