Fluoride Removal and Recovery Techniques in Wastewater Treatment
Summary
Fluoride contamination in wastewater arises from diverse sources such as semiconductor manufacturing, fertiliser production and natural mineral leaching. Excess fluoride poses risks to human health and ecosystems, necessitating effective treatment strategies that combine removal with resource recovery. Conventional approaches include chemical precipitation—often by addition of calcium salts to form insoluble calcium fluoride—and adsorption onto activated alumina or biopolymers. Membrane technologies such as nanofiltration and reverse osmosis offer high removal but generate concentrated brines. Emerging methods employ fluidised bed reactors to promote in situ crystallisation of high-purity CaF2, enabling simultaneous defluoridation and crystal recovery. Process intensification through optimised hydraulic retention times, pH control and reactor configuration has advanced continuous operation and scale-up. Zero-liquid discharge schemes integrate sequential precipitation and crystallisation to minimise effluent volume and recover fluorides as saleable products. The global significance of these developments lies in protecting drinking supplies, reducing industrial effluent, and valorising fluoride in a circular economy framework.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Fluoride Removal and Recovery Techniques in Wastewater Treatment publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in fluoride removal and recovery techniques in wastewater treatment across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Chemical precipitation: A treatment process that adds reagents to form insoluble compounds, enabling removal of dissolved contaminants by settling or filtration.
Fluidised bed reactor (FBR): A vessel in which solid seed particles are suspended and mixed by an upward fluid flow, promoting uniform crystallisation on particle surfaces.
Hydraulic retention time (HRT): The average time that wastewater remains in a reactor, influencing contact time for reaction and crystal growth.
Zero-liquid discharge (ZLD): A treatment goal that aims to eliminate liquid waste discharge by recovering water and converting solutes into solid resources.
Crystallisation efficiency: The fraction of a target ion that is converted into a crystalline solid phase under specified process conditions.
References
- Optimization of Calcium Fluoride Crystallization Process for Treatment of High-Concentration Fluoride-Containing Semiconductor Industry Wastewater. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2024).
- Process Intensification for Enhanced Fluoride Removal and Recovery as Calcium Fluoride Using a Fluidized Bed Reactor. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2024).
- Zero-Liquid Discharge Treatment of Wastewater from a Fertilizer Factory. Sustainability (2020).
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.