States » EastPosted at: Oct 14 2026 3:22PM


NIT Rourkela develops jackfruit peel-based material to remove up to 97 pc fluoride from water

Bhubaneswar, Oct 14 (UNI) Researchers at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela have developed a patented water purification material from discarded jackfruit peels that removed more than 90 per cent of fluoride from contaminated water within about 10 minutes under laboratory conditions, offering potential for affordable and decentralised water treatment.
The innovation uses activated carbon derived from jackfruit peels and modified with zirconium to enhance its capacity to capture fluoride. Laboratory tests showed removal efficiencies exceeding 90 per cent, reaching up to 97 per cent within 10–20 minutes under the conditions tested.
The development could eventually provide an alternative for rural and semi-urban communities in fluoride-affected regions, where groundwater contamination remains a public health concern.
Excessive fluoride in drinking water can cause dental and skeletal fluorosis, damaging teeth and bones in both children and adults. The need for affordable and sustainable treatment technologies has assumed importance as fluoride contamination continues to affect groundwater sources in several parts of India.
Existing treatment methods, including reverse osmosis, ion exchange and activated alumina, have certain limitations. Reverse osmosis can generate substantial quantities of wastewater and remove beneficial minerals, while other methods may require chemicals and operational arrangements that can complicate their wider adoption.
The NIT Rourkela team has sought to address these challenges by converting an agricultural waste product into a functional material for water purification.
Prof Susmita Mishra of the institute's Department of Chemical Engineering said the researchers prepared activated carbon from discarded jackfruit peels and modified it with zirconium to improve its fluoride-removal efficiency.
Tests conducted using fluoride concentrations of around 1–5 milligrams per litre recorded removal efficiencies of more than 90 per cent, with the material achieving up to 97 per cent removal within 10–20 minutes under the experimental conditions.
The research was carried out by Prof Mishra and Dr Pratima Minz, a research graduate at the institute. The team has secured a patent for the technology.
The material has reached Technology Readiness Level 4 (TRL 4), indicating that the technology has been validated in a laboratory environment. Researchers have estimated its synthesis cost at approximately Rs 37 per gram, based on the electricity and chemicals used in its preparation.
Apart from its potential application in water purification, the technology offers a waste-to-resource solution by converting discarded jackfruit peels into a value-added material. Its estimated preparation cost could make it a candidate for further development for household and community-level water treatment, particularly in areas affected by fluoride contamination.
However, the material is not yet ready for widespread use. The researchers plan to develop a physical prototype and assess its long-term performance, operating costs and practical suitability before exploring field applications.
Prof Mishra said the material could contribute to cost-effective, decentralised water treatment in the long term, subject to further testing and validation.
The next phase of research will focus on determining whether the promising laboratory results can be translated into a reliable and scalable solution for communities dependent on fluoride-contaminated groundwater.
UNI DP
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