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Zr-Based Biocomposite Materials as an Alternative for Fluoride Removal, Preparation and Characteristics
Adriana Robledo-Peralta1, Linda Viviana García-Quiñonez2, René I Rodríguez-Beltrán2
1Department of Sustainable Engineering, Advanced Materials Research Center (CIMAV-Durango), CIMAV 110 Street, Ejido Arroyo Seco, Durango C.P. 34147, Durango, Mexico.
Polymers
|April 23, 2022
Summary
Orange and apple peels, modified with zirconium, effectively remove fluoride from water. These sustainable bioadsorbents show high fluoride-capture capacity, making them promising for water treatment applications.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Materials Science
- Chemistry
Background:
- Biocomposite materials are increasingly explored as adsorbents for removing ions from aqueous solutions.
- Agricultural waste like fruit peels offers a sustainable source for developing novel adsorbent materials.
- Chemical modification and metal impregnation enhance the adsorption capacity of biomass-based materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize zirconium-impregnated orange and apple peel biocomposites for fluoride removal.
- To investigate the adsorption mechanism of fluoride onto the modified biomass materials.
- To evaluate the fluoride-capture capacity of these novel bioadsorbents.
Main Methods:
- Valence orange (Citrus sinensis) and Red Delicious apple (Malus Domestica) peels underwent alkaline treatment and carboxylation.
- Biomass materials were impregnated with zirconium (Zr) cations.
- Morphological and structural characterization, along with batch adsorption experiments at pH 3.5, were performed.
Main Results:
- Modified peels exhibited increased surface roughness and successful zirconium impregnation.
- Maximum fluoride adsorption capacities were 4.854 mg/g for orange peel and 5.627 mg/g for apple peel.
- Adsorption data fitted the Langmuir model, indicating monolayer chemisorption.
Conclusions:
- Chemically modified and zirconium-impregnated orange and apple peels are effective bioadsorbents for fluoride removal.
- The adsorption mechanism involves fluoride replacing hydroxyl species or forming hydrogen bonds.
- These bioadsorbents demonstrate viability for fluoride removal and warrant further study in continuous systems.
