Defluoridation of drinking water using a ceramic filter decorated with iron oxide‐biochar composites

Abstract While effective defluoridation methods have been developed, most of them are expensive and difficult to apply at a household level. One safe, low‐cost, decentralized water treatment method which is attracting research attention is the use of ceramic filters (CFs). Few studies have explored the use of biochar composites in CFs for defluoridation of water, with the bulk of them being based on batch and column experiments. The aim of this work was to develop, and evaluate a laboratory‐scale, low‐cost CF using clay, sawdust, and iron oxide‐biochar (FBC) for fluoride removal in synthetic and real water samples. Three CFs were fabricated with varying FBC content (0%, 5%, and 10%). Water absorption, apparent porosity, and flow rate decreased with decreasing FBC content, while the impact strength increased with decreasing FBC content. The CFs reduced the fluoride concentration of both the ground water, and synthetic water to below the WHO recommended limit (1.5 mg/L). While further studies are required to optimize the CF, the results demonstrate that a CF decorated with FBC composites is effective for defluoridation of drinking water.