Physicochemical characterization and sorption behavior of Mg-Ca-Al (NO3) hydrotalcite-like compounds toward removal of fluoride from protein solutions

► Synthesize MgCaAlNO3 hydrotalcite-like compounds (HTlcs) with different Ca content. ► The protein systems were evaluated for the removal of fluoride by the HTlcs. ► Mg2.5Ca0.5Al-HTlc performs the best fluoride binding ability in protein solutions. ► Extremely low losses of proteins were observed during adsorption process. ► Antarctic krill wastewater study confirmed the practicality of the adsorbent.