Application of fly ash for flouride adsorption
The suitable characteristics of fly ash from thermal power plants make it a proper adsorbent for removing various pollutants from water and aqueous solutions. Valorization and utilization of fly ash can reduce the use of conventional adsorbents. The paper presents an overview of the possibility of using raw and modified fly ash to remove fluorides from water and aqueous solutions, as well as the influence of different process parameters (sorbent dose, contact time, pH value, temperature, etc.) on the value of adsorption capacity and adsorption efficiency of used sorbent. Fly ash can be used as an effective sorbent for the removal of fluoride, both in raw and modified form, with given optimal process parameters. Raw fly ash shows better adsorption properties when performing the experiment in a column, with a higher dose of sorbent and longer contact time, in an acidic environment (pH = 2-3), compared to batch experiments. Various authors have modified fly ash by treatment with certain chemical agents (HCl, Ca (OH)2…) or by synthesis of zeolite based on fly ash. Modification of fly ash improves its adsorption properties, so in slightly acidic conditions (pH = 6), for a relatively short contact time (10-30 min), in batch conditions, significant adsorption efficiency (~ 90%) can be achieved.