Enhancement of Fluoride Removal by Acid and Alkaline Treatment on Chicken Bone Char

Groundwater is indispensable source of drinking water for the residents in the arid region such as the central north province of Sri Lanka. In the central north province and southern of Sri Lanka, many residents suffer from dental fluorosis and skeleton fluorosis due to high concentration of fluoride in drinking and cooking water. Countermeasures to reduce fluoride concentration are required in order to mitigate the adverse effect of fluoride on human health. Chicken bone char is a promising material, since it is low cost, and it would be acceptable for the people in Sri Lanka from religious point of view. We investigated the effect of acid and alkaline treatment on chicken bone char on fluoride removal. It was found that alkaline treatment had no effect, but acid treatment had effect on fluoride removal.The optimum acid concentration was 0.01N and the optimum duration of the acid treatment was 60 minutes to remove fluoride. Absorption rate increased 30 % by the acid treatment with the optimum condition when compared to that without treatment.