Adsorption of fluoride ions onto carbonaceous materials

The characteristics of fluoride ion adsorption onto carbonaceous materials were derived as adsorption isotherms at different temperatures and in different pH solutions. The fluoride ion was adsorbed into pores in carbonaceous materials produced from wood; the larger the specific surface area, the more fluoride ions adsorbed. Bone char was the most effective adsorbent. The composition of bone char includes calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, and so on. This suggests that the phosphate ion in bone char was exchanged with a fluoride ion. Moreover, the mechanism of fluoride ion adsorption onto bone char is clearly chemical in nature because the amount of fluoride ion adsorbed onto bone char increased with increasing temperature and decreasing pH. The amount of fluoride ion adsorbed onto bone char was also shown to depend on the concentration of sodium chloride in solution because of the salting-out effect. The adsorption of fluoride ion onto bone char is endothermic. Bone char can be utilized to remove fluoride ions from drinking water. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.