A mini update on fluoride adsorption from aqueous medium using clay materials

Abstract

The occurrence of fluoride ions in water is a common cause of contaminated drinking water. The chronic effects of fluoride on human health cause scientists to worry about its removal from wastewater. Although, many removal strategies have been developed, the adsorption process has proved to be a significant method in defluoridation and water treatment. The use of abundantly present natural materials as adsorbents is beneficial as they not only have the qualities needed to treat the water, but they are also economical and non-toxic. A variety of clay minerals have been tested and proved effective in the defluoridation of water. The present mini review is a brief update of the last seven years of literature on the adsorption properties of clay minerals in the fluoride removal process. This mini review highlights the sources and health effects of fluoride and discusses the effect of various factors on the fluoride removal process. The objective of this review is to take note of fluoride toxicity and its removal techniques. However, more research is still needed to utilize some important clay minerals for fluoride removal in a bid to decrease water pollution.