Efficiency of Nanofiltration Membrane TFC-SR3 and SelRo MPF-34 for Partial Elimination of Fluoride and Salinity from Drinking Water

Abstract

Consumption of safe drinking water is essential to human health. The excess of certain elements in drinking water causes health problem for people consuming these waters. In Senegal, the excessive levels of fluoride and salts found in the groundnut basin cause public health problem such as dental and/or skeletal fluorosis. Thus, the treatment of such waters is essential before consumption to prevent health problems. For a partial removal of fluoride and salinity, we tested the performance of two commercial nanofiltration membranes namely TFC-SR3 and SelRO MPF-34 at laboratory scale. The results showed that TFC-SR3 membrane was very efficient with rejection rates of 83% - 96% for fluoride ions and 89% - 96% for salinity. For SelRo MPF-34 membrane, retention rates of 25% - 52% were obtained for fluoride ions and 24% - 60% for the salinity.