Successful removal of fluoride from aqueous environment using Al(OH)3@AC: column studies and breakthrough curve modeling

Abstract

In this study, we discuss the removal of fluoride from water through column adsorption methods using Al(OH)₃@AC as a functional granular activated carbon. The height of the bed, fluoride concentration, and flow rate are the experimental factors used to obtain the breakthrough curves. As the flow rate increased, the breakthrough and saturation times decreased. The analysis of simplified column models, such as the Adams–Bohart, Thomas, and Yoon–Nelson models, revealed that the Clark model best described the adsorption process when fitting the experimental data. The obtained breakthrough curves agreed with the corresponding experimental data. The highest capacity for adsorption obtained during the column procedure was found to be 41.84 mg g⁻¹ with a bed height of 3 cm, an initial fluoride concentration of 10 mg L⁻¹ and a flow rate of 7.5 mL min⁻¹.