Abstract

Studies on the Defluoridization Competency of a Mixture of Raw Vermiculite and Strychnos potatorum linn. Seeds

Author(s): Sharmila C and Subramanian SP*

The incidence of dental and skeletal fluorosis due to excessive ingestion of fluoride through drinking water is increasing alarmingly in various parts of the world. Though several defluoridization techniques having different principles of actions such as reverse osmosis, ion exchange and chemical treatments are available, none is found to be ideal due to cost effective, sludge transfer, maintenance of pH and demineralization after treatment and non-attainable for rural regions. Hence, the search for new methods to selectively remove fluoride from the drinking water sources still continues. Earlier, we have reported that treatment with raw vermiculite, a type of mica, at a mesh size of 80 significantly adsorbed the fluoride present in the water samples. Strychnos potatorum Linn., commonly known as Nirmali, is a medium-sized, glabrous tree well known for its seeds which are 10-13 mm. in diameter and approximately weigh about 1-1.5 g. In the traditional system of medicine, the nirmali seeds are used to clear the muddy water through its coagulant action. This property was attributed to the presence of anionic polyelectrolytes having -COOH and free -OH surface groups that are present in the seed protein. In order to circumvent the disadvantages such as odour and mild turbidity associated with vermiculite, in the present study we have prepared a new adsorbent mixture comprising of the raw vermiculite and S. potatorum seeds in the ratio of 70: 30 (w/w) and found that the mixture possess significant defluoridization capacity than the raw vermiculite. The treatment with mixture significantly improves the taste, odour and turbidity.

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