Adsorptive removal of fluoride from aqueous phase using waste fungus (Pleurotus ostreatus 1804) biosorbent: Kinetics evaluation

This contribution presents results pertaining to the adsorptive studies carried out on fluoride removal using waste fungal biomass (Pleurotus ostreatus 1804) derived from laccase fermentation process. Batch sorption studies were performed and the results revealed that biosorbent demonstrated the ability to adsorb fluoride from aqueous phase. The sorption interaction of fluoride onto non-viable fungal species obeyed the pseudo-first-order rate equation. Isothermal data fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm adsorption model. Fluoride sorption was found to be dependent on the aqueous phase pH and the fluoride uptake was observed to be greater at lower pH. The fluoride sorption phenomena on fungal biosorbent might be attributed to the chemical type of interaction. In order to gain the practical utility of the studied biosorbents, batch studies were performed to evaluate their viability for real field application using eight water samples collected from the fluorsis-affected area.