Reducing the Fluorine Concentration in Water

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Certain areas of Chennai, India, are supplied with water with very high fluorine content.

The community cannot use RO-based treatment (reverse osmosis) due to cost considerations. We would prefer to use some chemicals to inactivate fluorine or to filter it.

Any suggestions on how this could be dealt with?

Please suggest which treatment is best at household level and which in the utility. 

I could provide test reports, if necessary, for a non-RO based solution.

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17 Answers

  1. We have developped a new technology for fluorine removal without chemicals, energy and brine generation.  It works for any type of water and independent of presence of any other elements or pH conditions.  We are introducing the technology HINDROP in India

  2. I am really surprised by knowing that Chennai has fluoride (in cannot be fluorine, may be chlorine?) in certain parts! We are Chennai based company and have recently launched gravity based absorption method Fluoride remover and trials are satisfactory in Dharmapuri, Karnataka and in AP! Ours is zero electricity, zero wastage system which can remove Fluoride very effectively. I would be happy to help you out to give the filter and you may contact me on our assembly shop address shown in www.watsan.in

  7. Our solar powered desalination process produces only distilled water and salt cake. No waste brine. However a review of your climate indicates that you have fairly high humidity and a low temperature spread between day time high and night time low temperatures. Can you tell me what range of solar power, in kwh/square meter/day, for your area as well as the seasonal variation? Also do you have a rainy season. Something might be able to be worked out as our product is so low in minerals it can be blended with your normal water to meet fluoride needs. www.suns-river.com

  8. I understand that simple treatment with alum at household level will reduce fluoride concentrations, not to the WHO level, but will make a difference depending on the pre-treatment concentration. At utility level, the use of activated alumina is a good option and can achieve WHO levels.  However if an alternative source can be found, that is optimum.  e.g. if households can collect rain water for their drinking water and use the high fluoride water for washing and cleaning, this can work if the community all adhere to this protocol.  Or the clinic can have a small activated alumina unit where villagers collect say 10 liters per day per household just for drinking and cooking, while using the high fluoride water for other purposes, it greatly reduces the cost as compared to treating all the water.

  9. There is a short term and a long term solution. 1. for right now use an RNA microbe called Archaea which will clean the water of any and all pathogens and toxic materials.  It also has the genetic function to chelate any toxic elements into their non toxic elemental/nutritional form. 2. long term collect, use, clean, reuse rain water.  (you did say per home )  Benefits eliminate all chlorine use that destroys human gut flora. The need for expensive infrastructure and maintenance.  Water for droughts in underground cistern. biomass/waste for your garden, food sustainability for your family and later a biogenerator for your energy needs. Just to name a few 

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    1. Thank you, Guy.

      Would we have some supportive material to demonstrate its effect on Fluorine?

      That will help in decision making.

       I haven't been able to source material from the net.

  10. The cheap and best manner for Fluoride removal in drinking water

     

    Bone Char Carbon

     

    “Bone char is a granular material produced by charring animal bones: the bones are heated to high temperatures (in the range of 400 to 500 °C) in an oxygen-depleted atmosphere to control the quality of the product as related to its adsorption capacity for applications such as defluoridation of water and removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions.”

     

    Activated Alumina

     

    Activated Alumina: The Superior Solution for Environmental Cleanup, Pharmaceutical Purification and Clean Energy Applications

     

    “Activated alumina is an inorganic substance produced by the dehydration of alumina hydroxide at high

    temperature. The material is highly porous and exhibits tremendous surface area, resulting in superior

    adsorbent capabilities. It is resistant to thermal shock and abrasion and does not shrink, swell, soften or disintegrate when immersed in water.

     

    Alumina possesses amphoteric properties allowing it to act as either an acid or a base. The ability to alter its pore or particle size provides it with a spectrum of unique biological and physical properties that can address specific desiccant and/or separating needs for the life and environmental sciences.”

     

     

    https://youtu.be/WVkKcPQnJz8

     

     

  11. Good Morning.

    Do you have a complete water analysis?  What is the daily volume and flow rate?

    Based upon the information received for above, two options include a) nitrate, nitrate, sulphate, fluoride specific anion in chloride form;  and b) Aquathin's LeadOut Media that removes arsenic, fluoride in addition to lead.

    You may send your response to info@aquathin.com .

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  12. Dear Chandra Kant Tewari,

    The precipitation of CaF2 may sound to be a good and cheap way. However I have to contradict Mr Comoglio.

    CaF2 is rated "insoluble" because its solubility is very poor: about 16 ppm (out of which about 7 of F and about 9 of Ca).

    The guideline of WHO is to accept F content below 1,5 ppm, hence the precipitation of CaF2 takes place for concentration which is much higher than recommended by WHO.

    The minimum concentration achieved by combining Ca with F is therefore about 7 ppm (probably something more for temperature higher than 20°C). This limit is probably achieved naturally because the water is expected to have more than 9 ppm Ca++. Hence the addition of more Ca is useless because the limiting compound for the formation of CaF2 is F (not Ca).

    Unfortunately there are no cheap techniques for the selective reduction of Fluorides, and costly plants are eventually necessary to treat the water in large quantities before distribution (non-selective desalination). In Tamil Nadu you may refer to GB Saline (part of GB Group) of Trichy.

  13. I have just read the answers you received and it seems like you are in good hands and have gotten very good solutions offered to you which can be carried out at low cost. Your question goes beyond my specialization and expertise in water supply and sanitation. 

  14. The use of calcium will generate CaF that is insoluble and with the of correct flocculant could be blocked on sand filter. It is cheep and works well CaO could be use for that, be careful to the pH

  16. Since the Bonechar which is used in Africa is not applicable in India, you can use the artifial filter media instead. That would be a product called Hydrofilt F (Tricalcium Phosphate = Hydroxyapatite) which has a capacity of up to 6g Fluoride removal per kg. You can reactivate the material by using NaOH for the rinsing process. We used this in India in combination with Sandfilters and an Ultrafiltration treatment. 

    2 Comments

  17. India cultivates a lot of Moringa (tree). Molt moringa seeds can floculate for very cheap costs. Let s check if Fluorine rate can be lowered by this natural sourced ingredient.

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