Flotation Using Microgas Dispersions for the Removal of Pentachlorophenol from Aqueous Solutions

ABSTRACT

Microgas dispersions called colloidal gas aphrons (CGAs) were generated using cationic, anionic, and nonionic surfactants, and were used in an adsorptive bubble flotation process in a semibatch mode to remove pentachlorophenol (PCP) from the aqueous phase. The aqueous solution was maintained at pH values by using buffers. CGAs generated with Tergitol, which is a nonionic surfactant, were found to be the most efficient for the removal of PCP; the efficiency remained nearly independent of pH. In the case of an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (DDBS), the efficiency of removal improved from 15 to 36% with a change in pH from 10.1 to 3.0. For a cationic surfactant, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB), the removal at pH 10.1 was 81%, which decreased to 68.1% at pH 3.0. The charges on the encapsulating film of CGAs may explain the higher percentage of adsorption of PCP on the CGAs generated using HTAB as compared to CGAs generated using DDBS. For all the surfactants, an increase in concentration improved the removal efficiency. These results were compared with the removal efficiencies using conventional flotation techniques used by other researchers. Solvent sublation appears to be effective in the removal of PCP, but even in the presence of a surfactant it required 300% more air volume per volume of liquid when compared with CGA flotation.