Synthesis of alginate bioencapsulated nano-hydroxyapatite composite for selective fluoride sorption

This article focuses on the development of eco-friendly adsorbent by alginate (Alg) bioencapsulating nano-hydroxyapatite (n-HAp) namely n-HApAlg composite for defluoridation studies in batch mode. n-HAp powder utilized as a promising defluoridating material, but it causes a significant pressure drop during field applications. To overcome such technological bottlenecks, n-HApAlg composite was synthesized. The defluoridation capacity (DC) of synthesized n-HApAlg composite possesses an enhanced DC of 3870 mg F(-)/kg when compared to n-HAp and calcium alginate (CaAlg) composite which possess DC of 1296 and 680 mg F(-)/kg, respectively. The biocomposite features were characterized using FTIR and SEM with EDAX analysis. The various adsorption influencing parameters like contact time, pH, co-anions, initial fluoride concentration and temperature were optimized. The adsorption process was enlightened by various isotherms and kinetic models. The suitability of the biocomposite at field conditions was also tested.