Removal of fluoride from aqueous solution by TiO2 and TiO2-SiO2 nanocomposite

Adsorption plays an important role in the removal of pollutants such as fluoride from aqueous solutions. With the rapid development of environmental technology, TiO2 particle has become promising material to adsorb fluoride ion because of its low cost, non-toxic, good chemical stability, and good sorption ability. This work used sol-gel and hydrothermal synthesis methods to prepare TiO2 particles and load them onto SiO2 particles. The physicochemical properties such as heat stability, particle size, and surface area of the resulting TiO2 adsorbents were characterized with various analytical methods. In addition, their adsorption abilities to fluoride were determined under various conditions including different initial fluoride concentration, pH and coexisting ions. The maximum adsorption capacity of the TiO2 adsorbents can reach up to 94.3 mg/g. The adsorption isotherms of fluoride onto the TiO2 adsorbents can be closely described by the Langmuir model, suggesting the monolayer adsorption process.