Removal of fluoride from aqueous solution by aluminum-loaded Duolite C-467 resin

Abstract

Our research interests were in the effects of pH, temperature, flow rate, and amount of resin on the kinetic behavior of fluoride removal using an aluminum-loaded synthetic resin, Duolite C-467, in batch reactors and fixed-bed adsorption columns, in order to obtain more practical design and operating data for a particular column. The results indicated that the removal efficiency was influenced significantly by solution pH and the optimum pH was found to be in the range 5.0–7.0. The removal of fluoride by the resin was interfered with by the presence of sulfate ions because of the competition for surface sites and neutralization of surface charge of resin. The Bed-Depth-Service-Time model can adequately describe the adsorption behavior of fluoride by aluminum-loaded Duolite C-467 resin in a fixed-bed column, also indicating that the adsorption rate of fluoride ion is mainly determined by the surface reaction step.