Release of Fluoride in Groundwater from Various Rock Forming Minerals and Sandy Aquifer of Central Ganga Basin, India

Fresh and pure water has an important role to play for healthy life. Currently, in many studies higher concentrations of contaminants like calcium, sodium, nitrate, lead, chromium, arsenic, fluoride etc. have been reported that makes the water unfit for its direct consumption. Sources and release mechanism of many such pollutants is still not known. These sources can be anthropogenic or geogenic. This paper deals with one of such contaminants namely fluoride and emphasizes on its release from various minerals viz. Gypsum, fluorite, tourmaline, actinolite, plagioclase, biotite, quartz, kayanite, epidote and orthoclase under different pH environment. It has been noted that maximum fluoride has been released from the fluorite at all pH environment (acidic, normal and alkaline) of water while minimal fluoride was released from kayanite. However, orthoclase, tourmaline and biotite can release fluoride in considerable amount. The attempts were also made to compare the release of fluoride from modern sand (Ganga sediments) with ancient sand (from sandy aquifer) under different pH condition. Outcome of studies shows that maximum fluoride released from the sand at the pH range of 6.1 to 8.2.