Extraction kinetics of copper with liquid surfactant membranes in a stirred transfer cell.

Abstract

A novel separation technique using liquid surfactant membranes containing a mobile carrier has recently attracted practical interest from the point of view of recycling of industrial resources or energy conservation. In this work, the extraction of copper was carried out in a stirred transfer cell, using liquid surfactant membranes containing benzoylacetone as a mobile carrier. At the early stage of copper extraction, it was found that the effects of mass transfer in the liquid membranes and the stripping reaction within water droplets on the overall extraction rate of copper could be neglected, and that copper ion was completely accepted into the water droplets in the emulsion phase. The experimental results could be explained by a diffusion model accompanied by chelating complex formation in the aqueous phase close to the external interface of the membranes. The rate constant of the chelating complex formation and the mass transfer coefficient in the aqueous phase were obtained.