Characteristics and defluoridation performance of granular activated carbons coated with manganese oxides

Preparation of aluminium-hydroxide-modified diatomite and its fluoride adsorption mechanism

As the current excessive accumulation of fluoride (F^-) in the environment can be hazardous to human health, it is essential to remove fluoride from wastewater. In this study, diatomite (DA) was used as a raw material and modified using aluminum hydroxide (Al-DA) for use in the adsorption of F^- from water bodies. SEM, EDS, XRD, FTIR, and Zeta potential characterization analyses were carried out; adsorption tests and kinetic fitting were performed, and the effects of pH, dosing quantity, and presence of interfering ions on the adsorption of F^- by the materials were investigated. The results show that the Freundlich model effectively describes the adsorption process of F^- on DA, which therefore involves adsorption-complexation interactions; however, the Langmuir model effectively describes the adsorption process of F^- on Al-DA, corresponding to unimolecular layer adsorption mainly via ion-exchange interactions, that is, adsorption is dominated by chemisorption. Aluminum hydroxide was shown to be the main species involved in F^- adsorption. The efficiency of F^- removal by DA and Al-DA was over 91% and 97% for 2 h, and the adsorption kinetics were effectively fit by the quasi-secondary model, suggesting that chemical interactions between the absorbents and F^- control the adsorption process. The adsorption of F^- was highly dependent on the pH of the system, and the maximum adsorption performance was obtained at pH 6 and 4. The optimal dosage of DA and Al-DA was 4 g/L. Even in the presence of interfering ions, the removal of F^- on Al-DA reached 89%, showing good selectivity. XRD and FTIR studies showed that the mechanism of F^- adsorption on Al-DA involved ion exchange and the formation of F-Al bonds.

Enhanced Rhodamine B degradation by GAC/Mn-Sn particles electrodes

Rhodamine B (RhB) wastewater could be degraded by a three-dimensional electrolytic reactor with surface-modified titanium anodes, and a variety of materials had been tried to prepare for particles electrodes to enhance its removal effects, among them, granular activated carbon (GAC) with large specific surface areas and stable chemical properties was selected as particles materials and coated by manganese oxidation (Mn) as the main active ingredient. The experimental results showed that 98.3% of RhB and 60.7% of chemical oxygen demand were removed respectively, and the RhB wastewater's biodegradability was improved either. On the superficial sites of GAC/Mn-Sn particles, hydroxyl radicals were generated, and some absorbed RhB molecular was initially decolored by hypochlorite removing the two ethyl groups on both sides of the molecular, then oxidized by hydroxyl, and continually decomposed by these strong oxidants into a variety of intermediates.

Adsorption of organic and inorganic arsenic from aqueous solution: Optimization, characterization and performance of Fe-Mn-Zr ternary magnetic sorbent

Arsenic is a highly toxic pollutant and exists in inorganic and organic forms in groundwater and industrial wastewater. It is of great importance to reduce the arsenic content to lower levels in the water (e.g., <10 ppb for drinking) in order to minimize risk to humans. In this study, a Fe-Mn-Zr ternary magnetic sorbent was fabricated via precipitation for removal of inorganic and organic arsenate. The synthesis of sorbent was optimized by Taguchi method, which leads to an adsorbent with higher adsorption capacity. The adsorption of As(V) was pH dependent; the optimal removal was achieved at pH 2 and 5 for inorganic and organic As(V), respectively. Contact time of 25 h was sufficient for complete adsorption of both inorganic and organic As(V). The adsorption isotherm study revealed that the adsorbent performed better in sequestration of inorganic As(V) than that of organic As(V); both adsorption followed the Langmuir isotherm with maximum adsorption capacities of 81.3 and 16.98 mg g^-1 for inorganic and organic As(V), respectively. The existence of anions in the water had more profound effect on the adsorption of organic As(V) than the inorganic As(V). The co-existing silicate and phosphate ions caused significantly negative impacts on the adsorption of both As(V). Furthermore, the existence of humic acid caused the deterioration of inorganic As(V) removal but showed insignificant impact on the organic As(V) adsorption. The mechanism study demonstrated that ion exchange and complexation played key roles in arsenic removal. This study provides a promising magnetic adsorptive material for simultaneous removal of inorganic and organic As(V).

Comprehensive and critical appraisal of plant-based defluoridation from environmental matrices

Fluoride is recognized as one of the global environmental threats because of its non-biodegradable nature and long-term persistence in the environment. This has created the dire need to explore various defluoridation techniques (membrane process, adsorption, precipitation, reverse osmosis, ion exchange, and electrocoagulation). Owing to their cost ineffectiveness and high operational costs, these technologies failed to find any practical utility in fluoride remediation. Comparatively, defluoridation techniques involving the use of low-cost plant-derived adsorbents and fluoride phytoremediators are considered better alternatives. Through this review, an attempt has been made to critically synthesize information about various plant-based bioadsorbents and hyperaccumulators from existing literature. Moreover, mechanisms underlying the fluoride adsorption and accumulation by plants have been thoroughly discussed that will invigorate the researchers to develop novel ideas about process/product modifications to further enhance the removal potential of the adsorbents and plants. Literature survey unravels that various low-cost plant-derived adsorbents have shown their efficacy in defluoridation, yet there is an urgent need to explore their pragmatic application on a commercial scale.

Removal of Aniline and Benzothiazole Wastewaters Using an Efficient MnO2/GAC Catalyst in a Photocatalytic Fluidised Bed Reactor

This work presents an efficient method for treating industrial wastewater containing aniline and benzothiazole, which are refractory to conventional treatments. A combination of heterogeneous photocatalysis operating in a fluidised bed reactor is studied in order to increase mass transfer and reduce reaction times. This process uses a manganese dioxide catalyst supported on granular activated carbon with environmentally friendly characteristics. The manganese dioxide composite is prepared by hydrothermal synthesis on carbon Hydrodarco^® 3000 with different active phase ratios. The support, the metal oxide, and the composite are characterised by performing Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller analysis, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, X-ray fluorescence analysis, UV-Vis spectroscopy by diffuse reflectance, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in order to evaluate the influence of the metal oxide on the activated carbon. A composite of MnO₂/GAC (3.78% in phase α-MnO₂) is obtained, with a 9.4% increase in the specific surface of the initial GAC and a 12.79 nm crystal size. The effect of pH and catalyst load is studied. At a pH of 9.0 and a dose of 0.9 g L^-1, a high degradation of aniline and benzothiazole is obtained, with an 81.63% TOC mineralisation in 64.8 min.

Citric acid modified granular activated carbon for enhanced defluoridation

Excess fluoride (F^-, >1.5 mg F^-/L) in drinking water affects >260 million people across the globe and leads to dental and skeletal fluorosis. In this study, commercially available granular activated carbon (GAC) was modified with 0.3 M citric acid to get citric acid modified GAC (CAGAC). Over 70% of fluoride was removed in the first 60 min by CAGAC, whereas unmodified GAC removed only 30%. There were negligible interferences by co-existing ions (NO₃^-, Cl^-, HCO₃^-, SO₄^2-_, PO₄^3-) and organic matters. Maximum adsorption capacity of CAGAC was two times (1.65 mg/g) that of unmodified GAC (0.88 mg/g). Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) isotherm described the experimental data well indicating that ion exchange was involved in fluoride removal. CAGAC worked effectively over a wide range of pH (2-10) even though the point-of-zero-charge (PZC) was 4.89, and so the removal was not controlled by electrostatic interaction alone; surface adsorption and intra-particle diffusion were the rate-determining processes.

Adsorptive Removal of Fluoride from Water Using Nanomaterials of Ferrihydrite, Apatite, and Brucite: Batch and Column Studies

This study investigated the adsorptive removal of fluoride from simulated water pollution using various (hydro)oxide nanomaterials, which have the potential to be used as sorbents for surface water and groundwater remediation. Tested nanomaterials include hematite, magnetite, ferrihydrite, goethite, hematite-alpha, hydroxyapatite (HAP), brucite, and four titanium dioxides (TiO₂-A [anatase], TiO₂-B [rutile], TiO₂-C [rutile], and TiO₂-D [anatase]). Among 11 (hydro)oxide nanomaterials tested in this study, ferrihydrite, HAP, and brucite showed two to five times higher removal of fluoride than other nanomaterials from synthetic fluoride solutions. Freundlich and Redlich-Peterson adsorption isotherms better described the adsorptive capacity and mechanism than the Langmuir isotherm based on higher R ² values, indicating better fit of the regression predictions. In addition, the adsorption kinetics were well described by the intraparticle diffusion model. Column studies in a fixed bed continuous flow through system were conducted to illustrate the adsorption and desorption behavior of fluoride on ferrihydrite, HAP, or brucite. Experimental results fitted well with the Thomas model because of the R ² values at least 0.885 or higher. By comparisons of the adsorption capacity and the rate constant, columns packed with ferrihydrite exhibited not only faster rates but also higher sorption capacity than those packed with HAP or brucite. Desorption tests in deionized water showed that the adsorbed fluoride could be desorbed at a lower efficiency, ranging from 4.0% to 8.9%. The study implicated that (hydro)oxide nanomaterials of iron calcium and magnesium could be effective sorptive materials incorporated into filtration systems for the remediation of fluoride polluted water.

Water defluoridation by Fe(III)-loaded sisal fibre: Understanding the influence of the preparation pathways on biosorbents' defluoridation properties

Defluoridation properties of two Fe(III)-loaded plant biomass (Fe(III)-activated sisal fibre (Fe(III)-ASF) and post-alkalized Fe(III)-ASF (PA-Fe(III)-ASF)) distinguished by preparation pathways through exclusion/inclusion of post-alkalization are presented, with the aim of understanding the influence of post-alkalization in the preparation pathway to their fluoride removal properties. Findings reveal that PA-Fe(III)-ASF shows higher chemical stability with removal efficiency increasing towards acidic conditions, whereas Fe(III)-ASF manifests a lower chemical stability with removal efficiency increasing (in a wider pH range) with the increase in pH. This is attributable to the nature of the interactions between Fe(III) and the biomass surface functional groups. The removal efficiency by PA-Fe(III)-ASF has a strong positive correlation (0.98) to the surface charge/speciation induced by pH and the reverse is true for the Fe(III)-ASF. These findings therefore suggest that the principal fluoride removal mechanism is electrostatic interactions and ligand exchange for PA-Fe(III)-ASF and Fe(III)-ASF, respectively. Therefore, inclusion/exclusion of post-alkalization in preparation steps is an important aspect to consider in the production of Fe(III)-loaded biosorbents for water defluoridation for acquisition of specific defluoridation properties.

A review of emerging adsorbents and current demand for defluoridation of water: Bright future in water sustainability

Fluoride contamination of groundwater is a serious problem in several countries of the world because of the intake of excessive fluoride caused by the drinking of the contaminated groundwater. Geological and anthropogenic factors are responsible for the contamination of groundwater with fluoride. Excess amounts of fluoride in potable water may cause irreversible demineralisation of bone and tooth tissues, a condition called fluorosis, and long-term damage to the brain, liver, thyroid, and kidney. There has long been a need for fluoride removal from potable water to make it safe for human use. From among several defluoridation technologies, adsorption is the technology most commonly used due to its cost-effectiveness, ease of operation, and simple physical process. In this paper, the adsorption capacities and fluoride removal efficiencies of different types of adsorbents are compiled from relevant published data available in the literature and represented graphically. The most promising adsorbents tested so far from each category of adsorbents are also highlighted. There is still a need to discover the actual feasibility of usage of adsorbents in the field on a commercial scale and to define the reusability of adsorbents to reduce cost and the waste produced from the adsorption process. The present paper reviews the currently available methods and emerging approaches for defluoridation of water.

Preparation of a novel CeO2/SiO2 adsorbent and its adsorption behavior for fluoride ion

The silica-based CeO2 adsorbent (CeO2/SiO2) was prepared for removing fluoride from the aqueous solution. The synthesized adsorbent was characterized by scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive spectrum, X-ray diffractometer, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, and zeta potential measurement analyses. The adsorption batch experiments in the various experimental conditions including solution pH, contact time, initial fluoride concentration, and adsorption temperature were performed and investigated. The maximum adsorption capacity of fluoride into CeO2/SiO2 was 2.441 mmol/g at pH 3 and 298 K. The adsorption kinetics and isotherms were well described by the pseudo-second-order model and the Langmuir model, respectively. The fluoride adsorption reached the equilibrium in 15 min from the aqueous solution with the initial fluoride concentration of 400 mg/l at 298 K. In the temperature range of 298–338 K, the maximum adsorption capacity of fluoride decreased from 2.441 mmol/g to 2.109 mmol/l at pH 3. The adsorption thermodynamics study revealed that this process was a spontaneous, exothermic, and entropy-driving adsorption. Furthermore, the mechanism of adsorption was identified as the anion exchange and the electrostatic interaction. The desorption efficiency of fluoride-loaded CeO2/SiO2 adsorbent could reach about 95% by 0.1 mol/l NaOH.

Novel Al-doped carbon nanotubes with adsorption and coagulation promotion for organic pollutant removal

Al-doped carbon nanotubes (Al-doped CNTs) were prepared as a multifunctional integrated material of adsorbent and coagulant aid for organic pollutant removal from aqueous solution. It was observed that aluminum species were dispersed homogeneously on the surface of CNTs, and mainly anchored onto defect structures of the CNTs. The introduction of aluminium efficiently improved adsorption ability for methyl orange (MO) onto the CNTs, and maximum adsorption capacity calculated from the Langmuir isotherm model can reach 69.7mg/g. The MO adsorption kinetics can be better described by the pseudo-second-order and pore diffusion kinetic models, and the diffusion of MO anions into pores of the Al-doped CNT adsorbent should be the rate-determining step. Thermodynamic analyses indicated that the adsorption of MO onto Al-CNTs-2.0 was endothermic and spontaneous. Moreover, adsorption capacity for MO on the Al-doped CNTs was evidently dependent on the CNT dose, solution pH and adsorbent dose. From the perspective of low-cost and multifunctional, suspension obtained during the Al-doped CNT adsorbent preparation, was tested as coagulant to remove humic acid (HA). A significant observation is that the suspension exhibited an excellent coagulation performance for HA, because abundant aluminous polymer and Al-doped CNTs existed in the suspension.

Removal of dyes by a novel fly ash–chitosan–graphene oxide composite adsorbent

A novel FCGO adsorbent is synthesized from fly ash cross-linked with chitosan and graphene oxide and characterized using SEM, XRD and FTIR analyses. The adsorbent effectively removes anionic and cationic dyes.

Advances in nanomaterial based approaches for enhanced fluoride and nitrate removal from contaminated water

Various nanomaterials for fluoride and nitrate removal from contaminated water.

Characterization and adsorption properties of a lanthanum-loaded magnetic cationic hydrogel composite for fluoride removal

In this study, a novel lanthanum-loaded magnetic cationic hydrogel (MCH-La) was synthesized for fluoride adsorption from drinking water. The adsorption kinetics, isotherms, and effects of pH and co-existing anions on fluoride uptake by MCH-La were evaluated. FTIR, Raman and XPS were used to analyze the fluoride adsorption mechanism of MCH-La. Results showed that MCH-La had positive zeta potential values of 23.6-8.0 mV at pH 3.0-11.0, with the magnitude of saturation magnetization up to 10.3 emu/g. The fluoride adsorption kinetics by MCH-La fitted well with the fractal-like-pseudo-second-order model, and the adsorption capacity reached 93% of the ultimate adsorption capacity within the first 10 min. The maximum fluoride adsorption capacity for MCH-La was 136.78 mg F(-)/g at an equilibrium fluoride concentration of 29.3 mg/L and pH 7.0. Equilibrium adsorption data showed that the Sips model was more suitable than the Langmuir and Freundlich models. MCH-La still had more than 100 mg of F(-)/g adsorption capacity at a strongly alkaline solution (pH > 10). The adsorption process was highly pH-dependent, and the optimal adsorption was attained at pH 2.8-4.0, corresponding to ligand exchange, electrostatic interactions, and Lewis acid-base interactions. With the exception of both anions of HCO3(-) and SiO4(4-), Cl(-), NO3(-), and SO4(2-) did not evidently prevent fluoride removal by MCH-La at their real concentrations in natural groundwater. The fluoride adsorption capacity of the regenerated MCH-La approached 70% of the fresh MCH-La from the second to fifth recycles. FTIR and Raman spectra revealed that C-O and CO functional groups on MCH contributed to the fluoride adsorption, this finding was also confirmed by the XPS F 1s spectra. Deconvolution of C 1s spectra before and after fluoride adsorption indicated that the carboxyl, anhydride, and phenol groups of MCH were involved in the fluoride removal.

Fluoride removal from aqueous solutions using cerium loaded mesoporous zirconium phosphate

Adsorption of fluoride on cerium modified mesoporous zirconium phosphate.

Preparation and defluorination mechanism of a novel copolymerized hydroxyapatite–aluminium chloride material

This paper offers a novel copolymerized hydroxyapatite–aluminum (HAP–PAC) adsorbent and evaluates its performance in fluoride removal of drinking water, and a possible fluoride removal mechanism is proposed.

Water defluoridation by aluminium oxide-manganese oxide composite material

In this study, aluminium oxide-manganese oxide (AOMO) composite material was synthesized, characterized, and tested for fluoride removal in batch experiments. AOMO was prepared from manganese(II) chloride and aluminium hydroxide. The surface area of AOMO was found to be 30.7m2/g and its specific density was determined as 2.78 g/cm3. Detailed investigation of the adsorbent by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, and ion chromatography (for sulphate only) showed that it is composed of Al, Mn, SO4, and Na as major components and Fe, Si, Ca, and Mg as minor components. Thermogravimetric analysis was used to study the thermal behaviour of AOMO. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the adsorbent is poorly crystalline. The point of zero charge was determined as 9.54. Batch experiments (by varying the proportion of MnO, adsorbent dose, contact time, initial F concentration, and raw water pH) showed that fluoride removal efficiency ofAOMO varied significantly with percentage of MnO with an optimum value of about I11% of manganese oxide in the adsorbent. The optimum dose of the adsorbent was 4 g/L which corresponds to the equilibrium adsorption capacity of 4.8 mg F-/g. Both the removal efficiency and adsorption capacity showed an increasing trend with an increase in initial fluoride concentration of the water. The pH for optimum fluoride removal was found to be in the range between 5 and 7. The adsorption data were analysed using the Freundlich, Langmuir, and Dubinirn-Radushkevich models. The minimum adsorption capacity obtained from the non-linear Freundlich isotherm model was 4.94 mg F-/g and the maximum capacity from the Langmuir isotherm method was 19.2mg F-/g. The experimental data of fluoride adsorption on AOMO fitted well to the Freundlich isotherm model. Kinetic studies showed that the adsorption is well described by a non-linear pseudo-second-order reaction model with an average rate constant of 3.1 x 10(-2) g/min mg. It is concluded that AOMO is a highly promising adsorbent for the removal of excess fluoride from drinking water.

A critical study on efficiency of different materials for fluoride removal from aqueous media

Fluoride is a persistent and non-biodegradable pollutant that accumulates in soil, plants, wildlife and in human beings. Therefore, knowledge of its removal, using best technique with optimum efficiency is needed. The present survey highlights on efficacy of different materials for the removal of fluoride from water. The most important results of extensive studies on various key factors (pH, agitation time, initial fluoride concentration, temperature, particle size, surface area, presence and nature of counter ions and solvent dose) fluctuate fluoride removal capacity of materials are reviewed.

Fluoride adsorption on carboxylated aerobic granules containing Ce(III)

Aerobic granules (AG) were carboxylated and Ce(III) was incorporated to obtain modified granuels (Ce(III)-MAG) for removal of fluoride from aqueous solutions. The Ce(III)-MAG was characterized by SEM, FTIR, XRD and pH(pzc), and the introduction of carboxyl groups and Ce(III) was confirmed. The adsorption capacity of Ce(III)-MAG for fluoride was 45.80 mg/g at neutral pH, an increase of 359% compared to the capacity of pristine AG. Adsorption was highest at pH range of 3.0-5.0. A positive effect on fluoride removal in the order of K(+) ≈ Mg(2+) > Ca(2+) > Na(+) and a negative effect in the order of NO(3)(-) > Cl(-) > SO(4)(2-) > HCO(3)(-) > PO(4)(3-) was observed. Fluoride adsorption followed the Redlich-Peterson model and the pseudo-first order model with correlation factors of 0.999 and 0.950, respectively. Ce(III)-MAG held up to 790 bed volumes and the effluent fluoride concentration remained below 1.0mg/L (influent fluoride 10mg/L).

Removal of Fluoride on Chitosan Coated Alumina (CAL) from Aqueous Solution

CAL beads were made by dropping wise mixture of chitosan and alumina into NaOH solution. Effects of contact time, adsorbent dosage, initial concentration and pH on fluoride removal were carried out by batch experiments. Results show that adsorption rate was relatively rapid in the first 6 h, thereafter distinctly decreased until adsorption reached the equilibrium within 48 h, at this time, adsorption capacity was up to 0.67 mg/g, which was much higher than raw chitosan (0.052 mg/g). Fluoride removal increased significantly with an increase of adsorbent dosage, however, it rose slowly when the adsorbent dosage was above 16 g/L. Adsorption capacity reduced from 0.75 mg/g to 0.64mg/g when solution pH rose from 4 to 7, nevertheless, adsorption was relatively independent on solution pH between 7 and 10.

Effect of precursor and preparation method on manganese based activated carbon sorbents for removing H2S from hot coal gas

Activated carbon (AC) supported manganese oxide sorbents were prepared by the supercritical water impregnation (SCWI) using two different precursor of Mn(NO(3))(2) (SCW(N)) and Mn(Ac)(2)·4H(2)O (SCW(A)). Their capacities of removing H(2)S from coal gas were evaluated and compared to the sorbents prepared by the pore volume impregnation (PVI) method. The structure and composition of different sorbents were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS and XANES techniques. It is found that the precursor of active component plays the crucial role and SCW(N) sorbents show much better sulfidation performance than the SCW(A) sorbents. This is because the Mn(3)O(4) active phase of the SCW(N) sorbents are well dispersed on the AC support, while the Mn(2)SiO(4)-like species in the SCW(A) sorbent can be formed and seriously aggregated. The SCW(N) sorbents with 2.80% and 5.60% manganese are favorable for the sulfidation reaction, since the Mn species are better dispersed on the SCW(N) sorbents than those on the PV(N) sorbents and results in the better sulfidation performance of the SCW(N) sorbents. As the Mn content increases to 11.20%, the metal oxide particles on AC supports aggregate seriously, which leads to poorer sulfidation performance of the SCW(N)11.20% sorbents than that of the PV(N)11.20% sorbents.

STRUCTURAL AND INTERACTION PROPERTIES OF ENCAPSULATED MnO2 NANOWIRES FILLED MWCNTs

Uniform encapsulated MnO2 nanowires were achieved within the cavity of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The Raman spectra revealed a charge-transfer shifts between the MnO2 particles and the inner tube of MWCNTs. Thin, uniform and continuous MnO2 was observed with a diameter of 9 nm.

Sorption and biodegradation of tetracycline by nitrifying granules and the toxicity of tetracycline on granules

This paper examines the simultaneous sorption and biodegradation performance of tetracycline (TC) by the nitrifying granular sludge as well as the short-term exposure toxicity of TC. The removal of TC was characterized by a quick sorption and a slow process of biodegradation. The adsorption process fits pseudo-second-order kinetic model, with a complex mechanism of surface adsorption and intra-particle diffusion. Both temperature and mixed liquor suspended solid (MLSS) influenced TC sorption to the granules. TC biodegradation was enhanced with the increase of COD and NH(4)(+)-N concentrations, with except of the NH(4)(+)-N concentrations higher than 150 mg/L. With the ATU addition, TC degradation was weakened remarkably, indicating a synergistic effect of multiple microbes. Results of the short-term exposure (12h) effects showed that the respirometric activities of the microbes decreased greatly. The addition of TC also decreased the rate of NH(4)(+)-N utilization considerably, with the half saturation constant (K(s)) increasing from 297.7 to 347.2 mg/L.

Sono-assisted preparation of magnetic magnesium-aluminum layered double hydroxides and their application for removing fluoride

A simple ultrasound-assisted co-precipitation method in combination with a calcination treatment was developed to prepare magnetic Mg-Al layered double hydroxides composite as an adsorbent material to remove fluoride ions from aqueous solutions. The application of ultrasound in the preparation process promoted the formation of the hydrotalcite-like phase and drastically shortened the time being required for preparation of the crystalline composite. It was found that the ultrasound irradiation assistance decreased the size of the composite particles and increased the specific surface area, being favorable to the improvement of the adsorption capacity. The composite prepared under the ultrasound irradiation exhibited fairly high maximum adsorption capacity of fluoride (47.7 mg g(-1)), which was 60% higher than that of the composite prepared without the ultrasound irradiation assistance with the same aging time. The thermodynamic and kinetic studies demonstrated that the adsorption of fluoride ions involved the reconstruction of the layered structure in the composite. In addition, the magnetic composite can be effectively and simply separated by using an external magnetic field, and then regenerated by desorption and calcination.