Fast, Efficient and Safe Removal of Fluoride from Water Using Colloidal Spherical SiO2@ZrO2 and @ZrO2 Particles

LEBED, P ; LARRIVIERE, D; CASTRO, YOLANDA; DURAN, ALICIA; MAISULS IVÁN; ARNAL P.M

Vancouver

Conferencia; 97th Canadian Chemist Conference and Exhibition; 2014

Fluorosis is a disease endemic in at least 25 countries across the globe. Fluoride is an inorganic anion indispensable to develop bone resistance, to prevent cavities in teethes and to assure the normal development of other biological processes and is typically ingested by drinking water. But chronic intake of water with high levels of fluoride (> 1.5 ppm) is toxic. One of the strategies to prevent fluoride poisoning is removal by means of strong adsorbents such as activated alumina and charcoal. ZrO2 can remove fluoride ion from water. In this contribution we introduce a set of core@shell and @shell colloidal particles with a shell of ZrO2 and high specific surface area. We present evidence that demonstrates the capacity of these particles to remove fluoride fast and efficiently. Also, we present the characterization of the materials before and after contact with fluoride through FTIR as well as textural changes observed by FE-SEM. Finally, we investigate the stability of these colloidal particles during the fluoride removal process by means of Response Surfaces that allowed us to evaluate the leaching of the elements composing the particles, their magnitude and the main factors influencing this process.