A critical review on adsorption and recovery of fluoride from wastewater by metal-based adsorbents

Abstract

Rapid industrialization is deteriorating water quality, and fluoride pollution in water is one of the most serious environmental pollution problems. Adsorption technology is an efficient and selective process for removing fluoride from aqueous solutions using adsorbents. Metal-based adsorbents synergize the advantages of fast adsorption, high adsorption capacity, and excellent selectivity to effectively remove fluoride from water bodies, promising to satisfy environmental sustainability requirements. This paper reviews the metal-based adsorbents: iron-based, aluminum-based, lanthanum-based, cerium-based, titanium-based, zirconium-based, and multi-metal composite adsorbents, primarily focusing on the adsorption conditions and fluoride removal capacities and discusses prospects and challenges in the synthesis and application of metal-based adsorbents. This paper aims to stimulate new thinking and innovation in developing the next generation of sustainable adsorbents.