Removal of Fluorine and Boron From Groundwater Using Radiation-Induced Graft Polymerization Adsorbent at Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory

High fluorine and boron contents in groundwater are commonly reduced using coagulation and ion-exchange treatments. 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 adsorbent. 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 commonly used ion-exchange resin. The adsorbent used several times was able to remove boron, indicating that the adsorbent can be used for efficient boron removal.