OPTIMIZATION OF ADSORPTION PARAMETERS FOR REMOVAL OF FLUORIDE BY ACTIVATED CARBON PREPARED FROM PROSOPIS CINERARIA LEAVESPRAVEEN KUMAR, ANURAG KADWASARA, PRADEEP K. SHARMA AND ANURAG CHOUDHARYAbstract A large population around the world is facing the problem of groundwater toxicants associated with the fluoride and its adverse effects, therefore, number of attempts have been made for the removal of fluoride by some low-cost and environment friendly processes. Bio-adsorbents are one of the promising precursors for the adsorption process which can remove or minimize the various types of toxic organic and inorganic pollutants present in industrial effluents and groundwater. The present study deals with an effective method for fluoride removal by activated carbon prepared by two different processes from Prosopis cineraria Leaves through the adsorption methods. A Batch method was conducted for optimizing the adsorption conditions like adsorbent doses, initial fluoride concentration, pH and time etc. Maximum removal efficiency was found to be 85 to 88 percent for equilibrium time of 80 ± 5 min at optimizing pH of 7 ± 0.4 with optimum doses of adsorbent 6.5 ± 0.5 g/l. It was observed that the adsorption obeys more closely to Freundlich isotherm rather than Langmuir isotherm. |