Nanocomposite for the detoxification of drinking water: effective and efficient removal of fluoride and bactericidal activity†
Abstract
The presence of fluoride and biological toxins in groundwater is a worldwide problem and has attracted immense attention. In this study, we have developed a tri-metal (Fe–Ca–Ce) oxide material for fluoride decontamination with bactericidal efficiency. The material exhibits an excellent fluoride adsorption capacity of 384.6 mg g−1 as well as a superior bactericidal capacity with a value of 30 μg mL−1 (IC50). The four isotherms studied indicated that the material preferably follows Freundlich and Dubinin–Radushkevich (D–R) isotherms. The adsorption of fluoride followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. The high cationic nature of the developed nanomaterial (pzc = 4.5) significantly enhances its recognition by a negative E. coli bacterial membrane causing extensive leakage of large cytoplasmic protein components, leading to the death of the bacteria. The material triggered efficient inhibition of the enzyme mitochondrial dehydrogenase of E. coli (MTCC-498) bacterium. A student's t-test was performed to evaluate the statistical significance to verify the bactericidal activities. The field applicability of the developed nanomaterial was validated through column studies in real water samples when other ions were also present in the system.