Evaluation of the efficiency of fly ash from thermal power plant in controlling aquatic pollution

Department of Chemistry, University of Kalyani, Kalyani-741 235, West Bengal, India E-mail : mitali_ku@yahoo.com Manuscript received 28 May 2008, accepted 7 August 2008 Contamination of ground water due to geoenvironmental causes is a worldwide problem including India. The problem further aggravates due to anthropogenic activities particularly through indiscriminate use of ground water. The geogenic route is mainly the dissolution and leaching of minerals deposits like of arsenopyrite, apatite and fluorite. This results in elevated concentration of arsenic and fluoride in drinking water and subsequent health hazards. The present report describes the use of fly ash for removal of both arsenic and fluoride in water. The operational parameters and the extent of removal are determined. The suitable condition for adsorption is evaluated from the nature of the isotherm curves and thermodynamic constants. A comparison is made with activated carbon in terms of the efficiency as well as cost of operation