Rapid defluoridation of drinking water by calcium carbonate nanoadsorbent: characterization, adsorption studies and application to real samples’ treatment

Abstract Groundwater contamination of fluoride is a serious global issue leading to its excessive intake and subsequently numerous adverse health issues. This research was designed to assess the efficiency of nanoadsorbent for removal of fluoride levels from water. For this purpose, calcium carbonate nanoparticles (average particle size 14.6 nm) were prepared and later applied for effective removal of fluoride from simulated as well as real drinking water (DW) samples collected from different areas of Lahore, Pakistan. The particles were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Physico-chemical parameters were studied in batch mode which revealed high adsorption capacity (i.e. 754.36 mg g−1) at room temperature and neutral pH within 10 min. The kinetic isotherms (general, pseudo-first, and pseudo-second order), diffusion studies (intra-particle diffusion and particle diffusion models), and adsorption models (Langmuir, Freundlich, Liu, and Redlich–Peterson) were also applied to evaluate the suitability of adsorption process. The applicability of nanoadsorbent to fluoride-contaminated real DW samples led to 98–100% efficacy of defluoridation.