Extraction and recovery of organic compounds from aqueous solution using emulsion liquid membrane process

Abstract

The emulsion liquid membrane (ELM) has gained much attention as an advanced separation process for the extraction of organic compounds from aqueous solutions. ELM is an important method for separation, concentration, and recovery, as well as in understanding mechanisms of solute transport. In this study, the extraction of several organic compounds such as reactive dyes, lignin, phenol, and succinic acid using ELM have been described. The formulation of ELM including carrier, diluent, surfactant, and stripping agent for each organic compound were summarized. Besides, factors that influence the selectivity and efficiency of the process were also analyzed. It was found the suitable operating condition for ELM process are homogenizer speed (7000–12000 rpm), emulsifying time (3–10 min), surfactant concentration (3%), extraction time (3–10 min), carrier concentration (0–0.7 M), stripping agent concentration (01.-0.3 M), and treat ratio (1:1–1:15). Meanwhile, the extraction, recovery, and enrichment were around 71–95%, 84–98%, and 6.7–13.5, respectively. Overall, the ELM formulation and range of operating parameters are found to have great potential for future investigations of the ELM process.