Removal of fluorine and boron from groundwater using radiation-induced graft polymerization adsorbent at Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory

Iyatomi, Yosuke ; Hoshina, Hiroyuki; Seko, Noriaki; Kasai, Noboru; Ueki, Yuji; Tamada, Masao

High fluorine and boron contents in wastewater are commonly reduced using coagulation and ion exchange treatments at wastewater treatment facilities. As an alternative, we tested the efficiency of fluorine and boron removal from groundwater using radiation-induced graft polymerization adsorbent. The durability of the adsorbent was also determined by varying groundwater flow-through rates and repetitive use of the sorbent. The results indicated that it was possible for the adsorbent to remove more than 95% of boron and fluorine from the groundwater, and that the performance of the adsorbent for boron removal was better than the resin used for ion exchange. The adsorbent used several times was able to remove boron, indicating that the adsorbent can be used for efficient boron removal.