Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Fluoride Removal from Water Using Combined Moringa oleifera/Ultrafiltration Process

  • Published:
Water, Air, & Soil Pollution Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The occurrence of fluoride in groundwater has been reported in many countries, mainly because the excess fluoride in drinking water can lead to dental or skeletal fluorosis. Fluoride removal by coagulation with Moringa oleifera seeds, followed by separation with membranes, was investigated in this work. Artificially fluoridated water, at a starting fluoride concentration of 10 mg L−1, was submitted to a coagulation process with aqueous extracts of M. oleifera seeds. The coagulation process was followed by ultrafiltration with membranes at different pressures. The coagulation process with 2.5 g L−1 of M. oleifera promoted a reduction of 90.90 % in the fluoride content of the treated water, making it possible for poor communities to consume this water. It is noteworthy that the combined coagulation/filtration process using raw coagulant showed the highest values of colour and turbidity, which, however, were still below the limits set for drinking water by Brazilian legislation. The advantage of proposing a sequential process using membrane separation is that it removes colour and turbidity, caused by the use of M. oleifera as a coagulant, resulting in water that meets potability standards.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Amagloh, F. K., & Benang, A. (2009). Effectiveness of Moringa oleifera seed as coagulant for water purification. African Journal of Agricultural Research, 4, 119–123.

    Google Scholar 

  • Amor, Z., Bariou, B., Mameri, N., Taky, M., Nicolas, S., & Elmidaoui, A. (2001). Fluoride removal from brackish water by electrodialysis. Desalination, 133, 215–223.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • APHA—American Public Health Association (1995). Standard Methods for the Examination for Water and Wastewater. 19th ed., Washington, D.C.

  • Baird, C. (2002). Química ambiental. Trad. Maria A. L. R (2nd ed.). Porto Alegre: Bookman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bellack, E., & Schouboe, P. J. (1958). Rapid photometric determination of fluoride in water. Use of sodium 2-(p-sulfophenylazo)-1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene-3,6-disulfonate-zirconium lake. Analytical Chemistry, 30(12), 2032–2034.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bhuptawat, H., Folkard, G. K., & Chaudhari, S. (2007). Innovative physico-chemical treatment of wastewater incorporating Moringa oleifera seed coagulant. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 142(1–2), 477–482.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • BMH—Brazilian Ministry of Health (2004). Ordinance n. 518 of March 25th. http://dtr2001.saude.gov.br/sas/PORTARIAS/Port2004/GM/GM-518.htm. Accessed 20 June 2011.

  • Castel, C., Schweizer, M., Simonnot, M. O., & Sardin, M. (2000). Selective removal of fluoride ions by a two-way ion-exchange cyclic process. Chemical Engineering Science, 55, 3341–3352.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Edmunds, W. M., Carrillo-Rivera, J. J., & Cardona, A. (2002). Geochemical evolution of groundwater beneath Mexico City. Journal of Hydrology, 258, 1–24.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fan, X., Parker, D. J., & Smith, M. D. (2003). Adsorption kinetics of fluoride on low cost materials. Water Research, 37, 4929–4937.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Featherstone, J. D. B. (2000). The science and practice of caries prevention. The Journal of the American Dental Association, 131, 887–899.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Forte, F. D. S., Moimaz, S. A. S., & Sampaio, F. C. (2008). Urinary fluoride excretion in children exposed to fluoride toothpaste and to different water fluoride levels in a tropical area of Brazil. Brazilian Dental Journal, 19(3), 214–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gassenschmidt, U., Jany, K. D., Bernhard, T., & Niebergall, H. (1995). Isolation and characterization of a flocculating protein from Moringa oleifera Lam. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-General Subjects, 1243(3), 477–481.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ghebremichael, K. A., Gunaratna, K. R., Henriksson, H., Brumer, H., & Dalhammar, G. (2005). A simple purification and activity assay of the coagulant protein from Moringa oleifera seed. Water Research, 39(11), 2338–2344.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Guo, Q., Wang, Y., Ma, T., & Ma, R. (2007). Geochemical processes controlling the elevated fluoride concentrations in groundwaters of the Taiyuan Basin, Northern China. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 93, 1–12.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, C. Y., Lo, S. L., & Kuan, W. H. (2005). Effects of the molar ratio of hydroxide and fluoride to Al(III) on fluoride removal by coagulation and electrocoagulation. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 283, 472–4763.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kalogo, Y., M’Bassiguié Séka, A., & Verstraete, W. (2001). Enhancing the start-up of a UASB reactor treating domestic wastewater by adding a water extract of Moringa oleifera seeds. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 55, 644–651.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Karthikeyan, G., Meenakshi, S., & Sundaram, C. S. (2006). Water defluoridation with indigenous plant materials. Indian Journal of Environmental Protection, 26(1), 25–29.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Karthikeyan, G., & Ilango, S. S. (2007). Fluoride sorption using Morringa Indica-based activated carbon. Iranian Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering, 4(1), 21–28.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Khatibikamal, V., Torabian, A., Janpoor, F., & Hoshyaripour, G. (2010). Fluoride removal from industrial wastewater using electrocoagulation and its adsorption kinetics. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 179, 276–280.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kumari, P., Sharma, P., Srivastava, S., & Srivastava, M. M. (2006). Biosorption studies on shelled Moringa oleifera Lamarck seed powder: removal and recovery of arsenic from aqueous system. International Journal of Mineral Processing, 78, 131–139.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Madrona, G. S., Serpelloni, G. B., Vieira, A. M. S., Nishi, L., Cardoso, K. C., & Bergamasco, R. (2010). Study of the effect of saline solution on the extraction of the Moringa oleifera seed’s active component for water treatment. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 211, 409–415.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mandinic, Z., Curcic, M., Antonijevic, B., Carevic, M., Mandic, J., Djukic-Cosic, D., et al. (2010). Fluoride in drinking water and dental fluorosis. The Science of the Total Environment, 408, 3507–3512.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Martín, C., Moure, A., Martín, G., Carrillo, E., Domínguez, H., & Parajó, J. C. (2010). Fractional characterisation of jatropha, neem, moringa, trisperma, castor and candlenut seeds as potential feedstocks for biodiesel production in Cuba. Biomass and Bioenergy, 34, 533–538.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meenakshi, A., & Maheshwari, R. C. (2006). Fluoride in drinking water and its removal. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 137, 456–463.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ndabigengesere, A., Narasiah, K. S., & Talbot, B. G. (1995). Active agents and mechanism of coagulation of turbid waters using Moringa oleifera. Water Research, 29(2), 703–710.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nkurunziza, T., Nduwayezu, J. B., Banadda, E. N., & Nhapi, I. (2009). The effect of turbidity levels and Moringa oleifera concentration on the effectiveness of coagulation in water treatment. Water Science & Technology—WST, 59, 1551–1558.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rafique, T., Naseem, S., Usmani, T. H., Bashir, E., Khan, F. A., & Bhanger, M. I. (2009). Geochemical factors controlling the occurrence of high fluoride groundwater in the Nagar Parkar area, Sindh, Pakistan. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 171, 424–430.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ranjan, R., Swarup, D., Patra, R. C., & Chandra, V. (2009). Tamarindus indica L. and Moringa oleifera M. extract administration ameliorates fluoride toxicity in rabbits. Indian Journal of Expermental Biology, 47, 900–905.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Salem, H. B., & Makkar, H. P. S. (2009). Defatted Moringa oleifera seed meal as a feed additive for sheep. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 150, 27–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silva, C. A., Miranda, F. M., Paula, L. O., & Coelho, N. M. M. (2006). Use of Moringa oleifera for fluoride removal from water. Revista Analytica, 21, 72–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tahaikt, M., El Habbani, R., Ait Haddou, A., Achary, I., Amor, Z., Taky, M., et al. (2007). Fluoride removal from groundwater by nanofiltration. Desalination, 212, 46–53.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Velizarov, S., Crespo, J. G., & Reis, M. A. (2004). Removal of inorganic anions from drinking water supplies by membrane bio/processes. Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology, 3, 361–380.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xia, S., Li, X., Zhang, Q., Xu, B., & Li, G. (2007). Ultrafiltration of surface water with coagulation pre-treatment by streaming current control. Desalination, 204, 351–358.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the State University of Maringá and National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) for the research support.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemical Engineering Department, State University of Maringá, Av. Colombo, 5790, 87020900, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil

    Gisele Cristina dos Santos Bazanella & Rosângela Bergamasco

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of Sergipe, Av. Mal. Rondon, s/n Jardim Rosa Elze, 49100-000, São Cristóvão, Sergipe, Brazil

    Gabriel Francisco da Silva

  3. Food Engineering Department, State University of Maringá, Av. Colombo, 5790, 87020900, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil

    Angélica Marquetotti Salcedo Vieira

Authors
  1. Gisele Cristina dos Santos Bazanella
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gabriel Francisco da Silva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Angélica Marquetotti Salcedo Vieira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Rosângela Bergamasco
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Angélica Marquetotti Salcedo Vieira.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

dos Santos Bazanella, G.C., da Silva, G.F., Vieira, A.M.S. et al. Fluoride Removal from Water Using Combined Moringa oleifera/Ultrafiltration Process. Water Air Soil Pollut 223, 6083–6093 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-012-1342-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-012-1342-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation