Background & Objectives: Fluoride is an essential element for human health and prevents tooth decay at standard levels. If fluoride concentration in drinking water exceeds standard levels, it may lead to various diseases such as Alzheimer's syndrome, brittle bones, infertility, and thyroid disorder. Therefore, this work aimed to investigate efficiency of natural and modified pumice to remove fluoride from aqueous solution. Methods: In this work, natural and modified pumice were used for removal of fluoride from aqueous solution. Several experimental parameters including pH (2-10), temperature (20-60oC), adsorbent mass (2-10 g/L), initial fluoride concentration (5-20 mg/L) and contact time were studied. All experiments were conducted in batch system with varying one experimental parameter whilest others remaining constant. Results: Results showed that removal efficiency was increased with increase in contact time, initial fluoride concentration, and adsorbent dosage. In addiiton, removal efficiency was decreased with increases in solution temperature. The highest removal efficiency was observed at pH 6. At pH=6, adsorbent doseof 10 g/L, fluoride concentration of 20 mg/L, and contact timeof 210 minutes, the final fluoride concentration reached to 1.76 and 1.23 mg/L by natural and modified pumice, respectively. Conclusion: The results of present work demonstrated that pumice especially modified one,as inexpensive adsorbents,can be effectively used to remove fluoride.
Noori Sepehr M, Karimaian K, Ghahramani E, Zarrabi M, Jafarinia M. Removal of Fluoride from Aqueous Solution by Natural and H2O2 Modified Pumice. j.health 2013; 4 (1) :31-46 URL: http://healthjournal.arums.ac.ir/article-1-47-en.html