Abstract
High fluoride levels in groundwater used for drinking have caused health concerns for millions of people across the world. Pakistan is one of the countries that have been contaminated by these toxins. However, a little amount of fluoride is required for tooth and bone strength. In any event, the presence of too much of it in drinking water can cause diseases in both people and animals. This study is focused on the synthesis of bio-adsorbent bone char to adsorbent for the removal of fluoride from groundwater obtained from Islamkot district Tharparkar. The bone char was synthesized by pyrolysis of used cow bones at a temperature of 550 degrees C. The fluoride removal efficiency of bone char was optimized. The impacts of different operating parameters such as flow rates (5mL/min, 10mL/min, and 15mL/min), bed height of adsorbent (2cm, 4cm, and 6cm), initial fluoride concentration 7.85 mg/L, and contact time (30min, 60min, and 90min) were studied. The removal efficiency was enhanced by increasing the adsorbent bed height and decreasing contact time and flow rate. With an initial concentration of fluoride 7.85mg/L, the maximum removal efficiency of 90.2% was obtained when the adsorbent bed height, flow rate, and contact time were optimized to 6 cm, 5 mL/min, and 30min, respectively. The finding showed that bone char can be used as an eco-friendly, inexpensive, and efficient adsorbent for removing fluoride from groundwater.
Highlights
Groundwater has been used to provide drinking water for thousands of years
Bone char was synthesized by pyrolysis at the temperature of 550◦C
Synthetic bone char was used as an adsorbent for column study removal of fluoride from groundwater of Islamkot
Summary
Groundwater has been used to provide drinking water for thousands of years. A huge portion of the world’s population relies on groundwater for drinking. The presence of inorganic contaminants in groundwater, such as arsenic and fluoride, is a significant quality issue [1]. A mixture of natural and anthropogenic activities has an impact on fluoride mobilization in the environment [2]. Natural actives include the breakdown, dissipation, and dissociation of fluoride-based minerals such as, cryolite, apatite, amphiboles fluorite, micas, topaz, and other fluoride-bearing minerals, sources that are anthropogenic include mining, use of pesticide and the use of brick kiln contribute fluoride aquatic system [3].
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