Innovative Technologies for Fluoride Removal and Technology Transfer

Geogenic Contamination is a Concern in Eastern Africa. Although it has been recognized for several decades that drinking water in many regions can be contaminated with arsenic and fluoride, the provision of contaminant-free drinking water has proven to be a great challenge for poor urban and rural communities. Understandably, in some regions, geogenic contamination has taken second place to more pressing health issues. However, the complexity of effective mitigation has also played an important role. Where possible, alternative, contaminant-free water resources have been used to mitigate the deleterious health effects of these geogenic contaminants. However, in many settings where water resources are scarce, water treatment is the only option.

The ACEWM team lead by Dr. Feleke Zewge is working on a project to tackle the Challenge of High Fluoride in Water in Eastern and Southern African Countries. Specifically, the team is focusing on the Development and Field Testing of High Performance Aluminum Oxide Based Technologies for Fluoride Removal in the Ethiopian Rift Valley. The Centre team is undertaking the following focused research and development activities to address the fluoride problem:
• Understanding the spatial distribution of fluoride in water and soil
• The contribution of dietary intake of fluoride by the community in the central rift valley in addition to the well-known intake through drinking water
• New technology option for fluoride removal which is also applicable to remove other groundwater contaminants