Removal of Fluoride from Synthetic Wastewater Using Carbonised Saw Dust and Suspended and Immobilised Culture of Pseudomonas oleovorans Strain NITD 20 – A Comparative Study

Abstract

In the present research, three agents such as saw dust (carbonised), waste of the timber industry, suspended bacterial cells of Pseudomonas oleovorans strain NITD 20 and immobilised whole live bacterial cells were used individually for fluoride removal from synthetic wastewater. Carbonised saw dust was used first as an adsorbent at optimum conditions such as pH 7±0.2, initial fluoride concentration of 15 mg·L-1, particle size of 0.10 mm, adsorbent dose of 60 g·L-1, contact time of 10 h and stirring speed of 120 rpm, and it showed 79.04±0.196% fluoride removal. In the present study, both suspended and immobilised cells of ‘Pseudomonas oleovorans strain NITD 20’ were used for the defluoridation process. Immobilisation was done onto the carbonised saw dust. The maximum removal was observed for suspended cells at 94.5±2.1% and immobilised cells at 98±1.23% in 10 h and 8 h incubation periods, respectively, from 15 mg·L-1 fluoride containing synthetic wastewater.