Abstract

Highly ordered pore mesoporous silica composites, like SBA-3 and hydroxyapatite (HaP) nanocrystals, characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and textural properties, were successfully applied to remove fluoride from contaminated water. The proposed procedure to prepare HaP/SBA-3 was successful, which acts as supports to anchor the HaP crystals, in nanometer-scale (<2nm), with higher fluoride retention from contaminated water. The free OH- groups of HaP nanocrystals, within the host, facilitated the high-performance fluoride trapping. The fluoride retention activity was much higher than that of pure HaP and the composites HaP/SBA-15 and HaP/MCM-41.

Keywords: F- retention; Contaminated water; HaP/SBA-3; Nanocomposites