Экстракция фенола из водных растворов метил-трет-бутиловым эфиром

Abstract

Extraction of phenol from aqueous media, including wastewater, is a very important problem nowadays, due to both high toxicity of phenols and absence of the extractants for their recovery satisfying the requirements for extraction capacity, accessibility, cost, fire and explosion hazards, and so on. The article considers the application of different extractants for removal of phenol from aqueous solutions and waste water. The efficiency of the extractants is discussed in relationship with the processes of their regeneration, chemical stability and other technological parameters. It is shown that methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE) can be an effective phenol extractant as an alternative to the solvents applied. The authors identified a phenol distribution constant from aqueous solutions in MTBE, which proved to be significantly higher than that of aliphatic ethers and close to butyl acetate. The dependency of phenol extraction degree on the volume ratio between organic and aqueous phases as well as on the number of extraction stages was established. A phenol salting-out constant was identified in the process of its extraction from aqueous solutions by MTBE. The effect of LiCl, NaCl, KCl, CaCl2 on phenol distribution constants in MTBE was studied. It was established that calcium chloride has maximum salting-out effect with phenol distribution constants significantly increasing in MTBE. The perspectiveness of methyl tert-butyl ether application for phenol extraction from aqueous solutions is shown.