Rourkela: Two women researchers at the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela (NITR), have developed a low-cost material from jackfruit peel to remove excess fluoride from contaminated groundwater. The patented material is made from activated carbon derived from discarded jackfruit peel and modified with zirconium to improve its fluoride-capturing ability.NITR announced the development in a press release issued on Wednesday. It said excessive fluoride in drinking water can cause dental and skeletal fluorosis, affecting both children and adults. Fluoride contamination has been reported in groundwater in several parts of India, making affordable and sustainable treatment methods an important public health priority.According to the institute, conventional fluoride-removal methods have limitations. Reverse osmosis wastes considerable quantities of water and removes beneficial minerals such as calcium and magnesium. Ion exchange and activated alumina processes use harsh chemicals and are not environmentally friendly.The research team, including Prof. Susmita Mishra, professor, department of chemical engineering, NIT Rourkela, and Pratima Minz, research graduate, NIT Rourkela, has secured a patent for the developed technology. Mishra said, “The key idea behind this technology is to use an agricultural waste material as a resource for water purification. We prepared activated carbon from discarded jackfruit peel and modified it with zirconium to improve its ability to capture fluoride from water. The material showed promising results in laboratory tests, removing over 90% of fluoride within approximately 10 minutes under the tested conditions.”In lab-scale tests, the material achieved over 90% fluoride removal within approximately 10 minutes at fluoride concentrations of around 1–5 milligrams per litre. Removal efficiencies exceeding 90–97% were recorded within 10–20 minutes under the tested conditions. NITR said the material could support decentralised water-treatment solutions, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas lacking reliable infrastructure. It also promotes a waste-to-resource approach by using an agricultural by-product.The technology has reached Technology Readiness Level 4 (TRL 4). Its estimated synthesis cost is approximately Rs. 37 per gram, based on electricity and chemicals used. The team plans to develop a physical prototype and assess practical deployment, long-term performance and operational costs.
