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Comparison of the defluoridation efficiency of calcium phosphate and chitin in the exoskeleton of Antarctic krill

WANG Zhangmin1,2 & YIN Xuebin1,2*   

  1. 1 School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China;
    2 Advanced Lab for Eco-safety and Human health, Suzhou Institute of USTC, Suzhou 215123, China
  • Online:1962-09-30 Published:1962-09-30

Abstract: Calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), and chitin are the main components of krill crust. Defluorination of a simulated solution of Sodium Fluoride (NaF) using calcium phosphate [Ca3(PO4)2] and chitin as defluorine agents was studied. Some orthogonal experiments were designed to find the best reaction conditions for defluorination, so as to obtain the maximum defluorine efficiency and fluoride removal capacity of calcium phosphate and chitin, and at the same time, a comparison about the capacity of these two defluorine agents was made. The results suggest that calcium phosphate, compared with chitin, under similar reaction conditions, has a far more capability to remove fluoride (F) from water. It is also suggested that, Antarctic krill is also likely to enrich fluoride by these kinds of substances such as calcium phosphate, hydroxyapatite, and other compounds of Ca and P generalized as form of (Ca,X)x(PO4,HPO4,Y)y(OH,Z)z, in addition to the presence of chitin.

Key words: calcium phosphate, chitin, defluoridation, krill, orthogonal design