Removal of fluoride from aqueous solution by graphene calcium ferrite nanocomposite

Abstract BACKGROUND Interactions of graphene calcium ferrite (GCF) nanocomposite with fluoride ions in aqueous medium have been investigated to explore the utilization of GCF as an adsorbent for fluoride removal. The investigation was based on batch adsorption studies with fluoride concentration, adsorbent amount, pH, interaction time, and temperature as the process variables. RESULTS The experimental results indicate a strong influence of pH on fluoride adsorption on GCF. The initial fluoride concentration also influenced the process, with adsorption decreasing from 79.5 to 70.1% when fluoride concentration increased from 1.0 to 9.0 mg L −1 with a constant adsorbent load of 2.0 g L −1 . The interaction kinetics were tested with respect to Lagergren first‐order and second‐order kinetics and with respect to Elovich equation, liquid film diffusion model, and intraparticle diffusion. The interactions appeared to be very close to second‐order kinetics ( k 2 = 0.0518 g mg −1 min −1 at 303 K). The data yielded a Langmuir monolayer capacity of ~11.90 mg g −1 at 303 K. The uptake of fluoride was enhanced by a small increase in the solution temperature. CONCLUSION The results showed that Graphene Calcium Ferrite (GCF) nanocomposites had high potential for use as an adsorbent for fluoride in aqueous medium through adsorption‐mediated immobilization. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).