Determination of repeatability, leakage, and reaction order in emulsion liquid membrane processes

Abstract

Repeatability, one of the most important cases in treatment studies which emulsion liquid membrane (ELM) process used to treat storage battery industry wastewaters, is examined in this study. In these treatment processes, several chemical reagents are used to compose inner and membrane phases. When composing membrane phase, organic reagents are also used, and these organic substances can leak to the outer phase which is called wastewater. In this study, this situation was discussed with data obtained from the treatment tests. The reaction order of ELM systems treating lead from storage battery industry wastewaters was determined. In the result of the study, it was found that a serious leakage problem emerged with these systems. A maximum chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 270 mg/L was obtained in the outer phase after treatment. For optimum ELM system, COD value was found as 200 mg/L for 20 min of treatment. The repeatability tests were shown that good repetitive results were obtained with a correlation coefficient of 0.999 and a standard deviation of 0.04104 for 30 minutes of treatment. Also physical observations suited each other very well. ELM systems suited to second reaction order. Reaction rate constant (k) and correlation coefficient were found as 0.0264 L/mg min and 0.97, respectively.