Synergism induced intensification for the recovery of phenolic compounds using polymer inclusion membranes containing binary mixed carriers

Abstract

The separation and recovery of phenolic compounds from wastewater have both economic and practical significance. In this study, polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) were developed using binary mixed carriers containing trioctylmethylammonium chloride (Aliquat 336) and tributyl phosphate (TBP), and poly(vinyl) chloride (PVC) as the base polymer for the recovery of phenolic compounds from aqueous solutions. The use of mixed carriers Aliquat 336 + TBP enhanced the extractability and transport efficiency of phenol, indicating the presence of synergism. The optimal results of this work showed that the maximum of transport fluxes (JSmax or -JMmax) increased from 0.097 (h−1) using the PIM composed of 40 wt% PVC and 60 wt% Aliquat 336, to 0.143 (h−1) using the PIM composed of 40 wt% PVC + 40 wt% Aliquat 336 + 20 wt% TBP. The addition of TBP eliminated the retention of the extracted Aliquat 336-phenol complexes in the membrane by forming an adduct with extracted species. The extraction/stripping efficiencies of 93.5%/83.8% and the permeability coefficient of 5.88 μm s−1 were obtained. The PIM containing synergistic mixed carriers could be recycled at least 15 times.