Abstract
Emulsion liquid membranes have been successfully used for the removal of different types of organic and inorganic pollutants by means of carrier-mediated transport mechanisms. However, the models that describe the kinetics and transport of such mechanisms are very complex due to the high number of model parameters. Starting from an analysis of the similarity between the elemental mechanisms of carrier-mediated transport in liquid membranes and of transport in adsorption processes, this paper presents an experimental analysis of the possibility of applying kinetic and mechanistic models developed for adsorption to carrier-mediated transport in emulsion liquid membranes. We study the removal of a target species, in this case, Cu(II), by emulsion liquid membranes containing membrane phase solutions of benzoylacetone (carrier agent), Span 80 (emulsifying agent) and kerosene (diluent), and hydrochloric acid as a stripping agent in the product phase. The experimental results fit the pseudo-second-order adsorption kinetic model, showing good relationships between the experimental and model parameters. Although both Cu(II) diffusion through the feed/membrane interface boundary layer and complex Cu-benzoylacetone diffusion through the membrane phase controls Cu(II) transport, it is the former step that mainly controls the transport process.
Highlights
The presence of heavy metals, elements with atomic weights of between 63.5 and200.6, and a specific gravity greater than 5.0 [1], in industrial effluents and wastewater, is a serious environmental problem since they are non-biodegradable in natural conditions, have a tendency to accumulate in living organisms, causing a variety of diseases and disorders, and have an inhibiting effect on the biodegradation of organic pollutants which may be present in wastewater [2,3]
We have studied the possibility of applying kinetic and mechanistic models devel‐
We have studied the possibility of applying kinetic and mechanistic models developed for the adsorption process to the carrier-mediated transport in emulsion liquid membranes by analyzing Cu(II) removal from aqueous solutions by emulsion liquid membranes containing solutions of benzoylacetone and
Summary
200.6, and a specific gravity greater than 5.0 [1], in industrial effluents and wastewater, is a serious environmental problem since they are non-biodegradable in natural conditions, have a tendency to accumulate in living organisms, causing a variety of diseases and disorders, and have an inhibiting effect on the biodegradation of organic pollutants which may be present in wastewater [2,3]. Their concentrations should be reduced to acceptable levels before being discharged into the environment. Since the 1970s, when Bhattacharyya et al [16] and Sato et al [17] used ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis membranes, respectively, for treating metal plating wastewaters, several membrane-based processes have been used to remove heavy metal ions from wastewaters, including micellar enhanced ultrafiltration [18,19], nanofiltration [20,21], reverse osmosis [22], forward osmosis [23], electrodialysis [24] and polymer inclusion membranes [25].
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