Abstract
According to the environmental protection regulations, fluoride concentration is considered as a substance of priority for assessment of drinking water quality to determine their impacts on the environment and public health. Saharan groundwater (Algeria) contains an excess of fluoride ions. Regular consumption of this water by the population of the region may cause endemic fluorosis. To solve this problem, we propose to treat this water by adsorption on different materials, such as activated alumina (AA), sodium clay (SC), and hydroxyapatite (HAP) in order to enhance its quality by reducing its fluoride concentration. The maximum adsorption is achieved with an adsorption capacity of the order of 0.9, 0.667, and 0.370 mg/g and with a percentage of 90, 83.4, and 73.95% for AA, HAP, and SC, respectively. Indeed, the acidity and alkalinity of the medium significantly affect the adsorption of fluoride ions. Results deduced from the curves of adsorption isotherms of fluoride ions showed that the retention is predictable from these isotherms in agreement with the Langmuir model. The low removal of fluoride ions was observed in presence of
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ions. Finally, AA material proved to be the best adsorbent for fluoride ions removal.