Title : Zirconium-modified terephthalic acid recovered from recycled pet for fluoride and lead removal from water
Abstract:
The presence of fluoride and lead in water poses a significant public health concern due to their toxic effects, even at low concentrations. Both contaminants have been associated with severe health disorders, including dental and skeletal fluorosis in the case of fluoride, and neurological and renal damage in the case of lead. Given the strict drinking water guidelines established by the World Health Organization, the development of efficient and sustainable treatment strategies is essential. In this context, this study evaluates the synthesis and application of a sorbent material derived from recycled PET waste for the removal of these contaminants from water.
The presence of fluoride and lead in water poses a significant public health concern due to their toxic effects, even at low concentrations. Both contaminants have been associated with severe health disorders, including dental and skeletal fluorosis in the case of fluoride, and neurological and renal damage in the case of lead. Given the strict drinking water guidelines established by the World Health Organization, the development of efficient and sustainable treatment strategies is essential. In this context, this study evaluates the synthesis and application of a sorbent material derived from recycled PET waste for the removal of these contaminants from water.
Batch sorption experiments were conducted to evaluate the influence of pH, sorbent dose, and contact time on the removal efficiency of both contaminants. The results indicated that pH was the most influential variable for fluoride and lead removal. For fluoride, the highest removal efficiency (98.3 ± 1.0%) was achieved at pH 5, whereas for lead, removal efficiency decreased with increasing pH values, reaching 90% at pH 3. Sorbent dose and contact time did not significantly affect removal performance within the studied range, indicating rapid sorption kinetics and efficient contaminant uptake even at low sorbent dosages. These findings suggest that the material reaches equilibrium rapidly under the evaluated experimental conditions, which is advantageous from a practical water treatment perspective.
Equilibrium analysis suggested distinct sorption mechanisms for each contaminant, with physisorption predominating for fluoride and ion exchange for lead. The difference in sorption behavior between both contaminants reflects the influence of surface chemistry and the nature of the interaction between the zirconium-modified material and each ionic species in solution. These findings highlight the potential of zirconium-modified TPA derived from recycled PET as an efficient and sustainable material for water treatment applications, while also contributing to the valorization of plastic waste as a functional raw material.
