Biomaterial functionalized cerium nanocomposite for removal of fluoride using central composite design optimization...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Materials Science
• Chemistry

Background:

• Excess fluoride in drinking water poses global health risks.
• Existing adsorbents face challenges like metal ion leaching and low capacity.
• Developing efficient and sustainable fluoride removal methods is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel Luffa cylindrica-cerium oxide (LC-Ce) biosorbent.
• To evaluate the adsorption capacity and mechanism for fluoride removal.
• To optimize the adsorption process using statistical analysis.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of LC-Ce biosorbent by integrating Luffa cylindrica with nano cerium oxide.
• Fluoride adsorption experiments optimized via central composite design (CCD).
• Adsorption data analyzed using Langmuir, Freundlich, and pseudo-second-order models; characterized by XPS and FTIR.

Main Results:

• LC-Ce demonstrated significantly higher maximum monolayer adsorption capacity (212 mg/g) compared to Luffa cylindrica (52.63 mg/g).
• Adsorption followed Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms, with kinetics governed by the pseudo-second-order model.
• LC-Ce achieved 80-85% fluoride removal, indicating high efficiency.

Conclusions:

• LC-Ce is a robust, biocompatible, and reusable adsorbent for efficient fluoride removal.
• The adsorption mechanism involves ion-exchange, electrostatic interaction, H-bonding, and ion-pair formation.
• LC-Ce offers a promising solution for mitigating fluoride contamination in drinking water.