Einstein International Journal Organization(EIJO)

Abstract 

The Drinking water available for daily consumption may be contaminated by natural sources or by industrial effluents. It is often the main source of fluoride intake by humans, especially in areas where their concentrations in groundwater and/or surface water is high. Endemic fluorosis is present in at least 20 states of India, affecting more than 65 million people including 6 million children. Fluoride ion (F) concentration in India’s groundwater varies widely, ranging from 0.01 to 48 mg/L. Defluoridation of ground water and supply of safe drinking water is the only immediate solution to this problem. The present investigation is an attempt towards a feasible solution. The process of removal of excess fluoride from water is described as Defluoridation. One of such method is adsorption. The present study has been conducted to assess the fluoride adsorption characteristics of natural adsorbents such as red soil collected from krishnagiri district and household wast like tamarind waste from the kitchen. The experiment has followed batch process. Static studies have aimed for investigation of fluoride removal efficiency under the varying conditions of the major parameters of adsorption, viz. pH, contact time, adsorbent dose, and initial fluoride concentration, and temperature, particle size of adsorbent, stirring rate and agitation speed. Kinetic models such as Pseudo first order and second order models are used for the adsorption rate mechanism. Adsorbents are allowed to follow Freundlich, Langmuir Isotherm and finally thermodynamic analyses are going to be done for the investigation of adsorption capacity. Defluoridation capacity of the adsorbents can be explained on the basis of the chemical interaction of fluoride with the metal oxides under the suitable conditions. This study is a step in developing a general platform suitable for producing potable water.