Selective Separation of Gallium from Acidic Leach Solutions by Emulsion Liquid Membranes

Abstract

The separation and concentration of gallium from acidic leach solutions, containing various other ions such as iron, cobalt, nickel, zinc, cadmium, lead, copper, and aluminium, by an emulsion liquid membrane (ELM) technique using tributyl phosphate (TBP) as carrier has been presented. Liquid membrane consists of a diluent, a surfactant (ECA 4360J), and an extractant (TBP), and 0.1 M HCl or 0.1 M H₂SO₄ were used as the stripping solution. The important variables governing the permeation of gallium and their effect on the separation process have been studied. These variables were membrane type and composition, mixing speed, diluent type, surfactant concentration, extractant concentration, HCl concentration in the feed, acid type of stripping phase, feed concentration, and treatment ratio. The optimum conditions were determined. It was possible to selectively extract 96.0% of gallium from the acidic leach solutions, containing Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, Cd, Pb, Cu, and Al, at the optimum conditions.     

Performance of hollow fiber supported liquid membrane on the extraction of mercury(II) ions

The extraction and recovery or stripping of mercury ions from chloride media using microporous hydrophobic hollow fiber supported liquid membranes (HFSLM) has been studied. Tri-n-octylamine (TOA) dissolved in kerosene was used as an extractant. Sodium hydroxide was used as a stripping solution. The transport system was studied as a function of several variables: the concentration of hydrochloric acid in the feed solution, the concentration of TOA in the liquid membrane, the concentration of sodium hydroxide in the stripping solution, the concentration of mercury ions in the feed solution and the flow rates of both feed and stripping solutions. The results indicated that the maximum percentages of the extraction and recovery of mercury ions of 100% and 97% were achieved at the concentration of hydrochloric acid in the feed solution of 0.1 mol/l, the concentration of TOA at 3% v/v, the concentration of sodium hydroxide at 0.5 mol/l and the flow rates of the feed and stripping solutions of 100 ml/min. However, the concentration of mercury ions from 1–100 ppm in the feed solution had no effect on the percentages of extraction and recovery of mercury ions. Thus, these results have identified that the hollow fiber supported liquid membrane process has high efficiency on both the extraction and recovery of mercury (II) ions. Moreover, the mass transfer coefficients of the aqueous phase (k _i ) and membrane or organic phase (k _m ) were calculated. The mass transfer coefficients of the aqueous phase and organic phase are 0.42 and 1.67 cm/s, respectively. The mass transfer coefficient of the organic phase is higher than that of the aqueous phase. Therefore, the mass transfer controlling step is the diffusion of the mercury ions through the film layer between the feed solution and the liquid membrane.     

Study on Competitive Transport of Heavy Metal Ions Through Liquid Surfactant Membrane

Abstract

In the present work an attempt has been made to develop a mathematical model for competitive transport of Cr(VI) and Mo(VI) through liquid surfactant membrane from acidic solution using Alamine‐336 and Caustic Soda as extractant and stripping reagent respectively. A reaction front has been assumed to exist within the emulsion globule in the proposed model. It has been assumed that, an instantaneous and irreversible reaction takes place at the membrane‐internal stripping phase interface between the solute and internal stripping reagent. Experiments on simultaneous extraction of Cr(VI) and Mo(VI), in batch mode, from aqueous solutions of Potassium Dichromate and Ammonium Molybdate have been carried out with the initial concentration of the solutes between 50–100 mg/l. Experiment on emulsion stability has also been performed to arrive at a reasonably stable emulsion composition. Effect of initial solute concentration on distribution coefficient has also been found experimentally and fitted by a semiemperical model that has been used in the computer simulation of the simultaneous extraction process. It has been found that the experimental results are within reasonably close proximity with the simulated curves.     

In situ reactive extraction of lactic acid from fermentation media

Extractive lactic acid fermentation was investigated in the presence of sunflower oil and Alamine‐336 (with oleyl alcohol as the diluent solvent). Lactic acid was produced in various media at 37 °C using Lactobacillus delbrueckii (NRRL‐B 445). First, the effects of oleyl alcohol (33.3%, v/v), immobilisation, and immobilisation in the presence of sunflower oil (5, 10, 15%, v/v) on lactic acid production were investigated. It was found that oleyl alcohol did not affect production while addition of sunflower oil increased lactic acid production from 10.22 to 16.46 gdm^?3. On the other hand, a toxic effect was observed for oleyl alcohol solutions containing 15–50% (v/v) Alamine‐336. A maximum total lactic acid concentration of 25.59 gdm^?3 was obtained when an oleyl alcohol solution containing 15% (v/v) Alamine together with immobilised cells with 15% (v/v) sunflower oil was used. This value was about 2.5 times that obtained from fermentation without organic solutions. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Selective transport of cobalt (II) from ammoniacal solutions containing cobalt (II) and nickel (II) by emulsion liquid membranes using 8-hydroxyquinoline

The selective transport of cobalt (II) from ammoniacal solutions containing nickel (II) and cobalt (II) by emulsion liquid membranes (ELMs) using 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) as extractant has been presented. Membrane solution consists of a diluent (kerosene), a surfactant (ECA 4360J), and an extractant (8-HQ). Very dilute sulphuric solution buffered at pH 5.0 has been used as a stripping solution. The ammoniacal feed solution pH was adjusted to 9.0 with hydrochloric acid. The important variables governing the permeation of cobalt (II) have been studied. These variables are membrane composition, pH of the feed solution, cobalt (II) and nickel (II) concentrations of the feed solution, stirring speed, surfactant concentration, extractant concentration, complexing agent concentration and pH of the stripping solution, and phase ratio. After the optimum conditions had been determined, it was possible to selectively transport 95.0% of cobalt (II) from ammoniacal feed solution containing Co²⁺ and Ni²⁺ ions. The separation factors of cobalt (II) with respect to nickel (II), based on initial feed concentration, have experimentally found to be of as high as 31 for equimolar Co(II)–Ni(II) feed solution.     

三烷基胺萃取氨基磺酸及其废水的特性研究

p-Amino benzene sulfonic acid (PABSA) is selected as the solute with amphoteric functional group, Lewis acid and Lewis base, to be separated from its dilute solutions. An aliphatic, straight chain amine, Alamine 336, is used as the extractant, and kerosene, 1-octanol, chloroform, butyl acetate and benzene as the diluent. The effects of pH value of solution, extractant concentration, salt and types of diluent on the distribution coefficient, D, are studied. There is a peak of D value with pH value of solution, the polar diluents are favorable for extracting PABSA, and the salt in aqueous phase reduces values of D apparently. The extraction equilibrium is described using the mass action law, and the calculated data according to the proposed model agree with the experimental data well. Further, the extraction behavior for other amino benzene sulfonic acids, 1-amino-8-naphtol-3,6-disulfonic acid (H acid) and 4,4′-diaminostilbene-2,2′-disulfonic acid (DSD acid), is investigated in a wide pH value region. Finally. H acid and DSD acid are successfully removed from wastewater by the extraction with Alamine 336.     

Intensification of conversion of glucose to lactic acid: equilibria and kinetics for back extraction of lactic acid using trimethylamine

Alamine 336 is an effective extractant for the recovery of lactic acid from aqueous solutions. An approach for regeneration and product recovery from such extracts is to back extract lactic acid with a water soluble, volatile tertiary amine such as trimethyl amine. Equilibrium data are presented that show near stoichiometric recovery of lactic acid from amine extract. Kinetics of back extraction of lactic acid from Alamine 336 in octanol into aqueous trimethyl amine (TMA) has been presented. Back extraction reaction in a stirred cell falls in Regime 3, extraction accompanied by a fast chemical reaction. The reaction has been found to be zero order in TMA and first order in lactic acid with a rate constant equal to 16.67/s¹. The data reported in this work will be useful in designing the lactic acid recovery system. In thermal regeneration of TMA, 99% of TMA was removed at from trimethylammonium lactate aqueous solution.     

Parametric optimization of green synergistic reactive extraction of lactic acid using trioctylamine,Aliquat336, and butan-2-ol in sunflower oil by response surface methodology

A novel green synergistic reactive extraction technique for the removal of lactic acid (LA) from aqueous solution was explored. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to optimize the process variables for LA synergistic reactive extraction using a mixture of trioctylamine and Aliquat336 as extractants. During this present investigation, 2-butanol and sunflower oil were used as organic and green diluent. Systematic investigation has been carried out to obtain the optimum process conditions viz. initial LA concentration, pH of aqueous solution, extractant ratio, extractant concentration, solvent ratio, phase ratio, temperature, stirring speed, and contact time for maximizing the LA distribution coefficient (K_D) and extraction efficiency (%, η). The highest experimentally achievable LA distribution coefficient (K_D) and extraction efficiency (%) at optimized process conditions were found to be in close agreement with those predicted by numerical optimization using RSM. Thus, the results of present finding have been shown a great ability of sunflower oil as an economic and environmentally friendly green solvent for LA extraction.     

Evaluation of Novel Solvent Systems Containing Calix-crown-6 Ligands in A Fluorinated Solvent for Cesium Extraction from Nitric Acidic Feeds

Several commercial calix-crown-6 ligands such as: calix[4]arene-bis-crown-6 (CC), calix[4]arene-bis-benzo-crown-6 (CBC), calix[4]arene-bis-naphtho-crown-6 (CNC), and bis-(octyloxy)calix[4]arene-mono-crown-6 (CMC) have been evaluated for their Cs uptake ability from nitric acid feed solutions in a novel solvent system. The calix-crown-6 ligands were made soluble in phenyl trifluoromethyl sulphone (PTMS) and 1 × 10^?3 M solutions were used for metal ion extraction from nitric acid feed solutions. The extraction efficiency of the calix-crown-6 ligands was found out to be: CBC > CNC > CMC ? CC, which was attributed to trends of their partition coefficients. CNC was considered to be the most suitable extractant in view of its better organophilicity. The effects of concentrations of nitric acid and Cs carrier in feed were also investigated. Studies carried out using variation of ligand concentration yielded an extracted species of the type [CsL⁺][NO₃^?]_org. Stripping of Cs(I) from the loaded organic phase was found to be possible when the organic phase contained minute quantities of Alamine 336. Co-current extraction and stripping studies were also carried out using CNC as the extractant.     

Separation of Co(II) and Ni(II) from thiocyanate media by hollow fiber supported liquid membrane containing Alamine300 as carrier — investigation on polarity of diluent and membrane stability

The separation of cobalt(II) and nickel(II) ions by HFSLM has been presented. The feed solution is 0.5M thiocyanate containing 300 ppm each of cobalt(II) and nickel(II) ions, whereas extractant is Alamine300 and the stripping solution is ammonia. Cobalt(II) is more preferable with Alamine300 than nickel(II). The effects of pH, Alamine300 concentration and ammonia concentration were investigated. Seven diluents were used: hexane, decanol, chlorobenzene, benzene, dichloromethane, ethylene dichloride and chloroform with different polarity indexes, from 0.1–4.1. Nickel(II) ion which is unpreferable with Alamine300 was used as a tracer to determine the membrane stability. The polarity of the diluents was found to be the main factor influencing the extraction performance and stability of a liquid membrane. The decreasing of polarity of the diluent can prolong the membrane stability, but the percentages of extraction and stripping decreased. The longest lifetime, 200 minutes, was obtained by using hexane as a diluent with the polarity index of 0.1.     

Transport and separation of cobalt,nickel and copper ions with alamine liquid membranes

The transfer and separation of Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) ions across a flat-sheet supported liquid membrane containing Alamine 336 as the mobile carrier dissolved in kerosene solvent has been investigated. Both the Alamine composition in the organic solution and the hydrochloric acid concentration in the feed solution have a marked effect on Co(II) and Cu(II) transport. A maximum flow of these ions at 50% of Alamine in the diluent was obtained. Ni(II) ion was not transported in the whole range of experimental conditions studied and good separation from Co(II) and Cu(II) could thus be performed. With decreasing hydrochloric acid concentration in the feed solution the separation factor of Cu(II) from Co(II) increases thus decreasing the Cu(II) recuperation factor.     

Solvent Extraction of Uranium (VI) from Chloride Solutions using Cyphos IL-101

The solvent extraction of uranium (VI) from chloride solutions by Cyphos IL-101 in xylene has been studied. Distribution coefficients were found to increase with aqueous chloride concentration and extractant concentration. The enthalpy of extraction is endothermic with ΔH = +24 ± 2 kJ·mol^?1. Based upon slope analysis, an anion exchange extraction mechanism is proposed, with formation of a UO₂Cl₄ ^2- complex in association with 4 Cyphos IL-101 ligands. The extraction kinetics were fast, with complete equilibration occurring within 30 seconds. An isotherm for uranium extraction from 1.0 mol·L^?1 chloride solution by 0.1 mol·L^?1 Cyphos IL-101 in xylene shows that 45 mmol·L^?1 uranium can be loaded into the organic phase in equilibrium with 2.1 mmol·L^?1 in the aqueous phase. The absorption spectrum of the uranium loaded solvent between 350 and 550 nm is indicative of the UO₂Cl₄ ^2- complex with only chlorides present in the inner coordination sphere, unlike the more strongly hydrogen bonded Alamine 336 extracted uranium complex. Subject to the same experimental conditions, distribution coefficients for Cyphos IL-101 were significantly greater than for Alamine 336 or Aliquat 336.     

Emulsion liquid membrane for selective extraction of Bi(III)

Di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid was used as extractant of bismuth ions from nitrate medium by emulsion liquid membrane, with Triton X-100 as the biodegradable surfactant in n-pentanol bulk membrane. The novelties and innovative points of this work are the application of emulsion liquid membrane for selective and efficient extraction of bismuth ions as wel as the relevant optimization procedures. The extraction of bismuth ions was evaluated by the yield of extraction. The experimental parameters were evaluated and optimized, including the ratio of di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid mass concentration to Triton X-100 (1.0%:0.5%), nature of diluent (n-pentanol), nature and concentration of stripping solution (sulfuric acid, 0.5 mol·L?1), stirring speed (1800 r·min?1) and equilibrium time of extraction (20 min), initial feed solution of bismuth (350 mg·L?1) and the volume ratio of internal stripping phase to membrane phase (14). The experimental parameters of kinetic extraction reveal that the bismuth ions can be extracted by 100%.     

Separation of As(III) and As(V) by hollow fiber supported liquid membrane based on the mass transfer theory

Separation of As(III) and As(V) ions from sulphate media by hollow fiber supported liquid membrane has been examined. Cyanex 923 was diluted in toluene and used as an extractant. Water was used as a stripping solution. The extractability of As(V) was higher than As(III). When the concentration of sulphuric acid in feed solution and Cyanex 923 in liquid membrane increased, more arsenic ions were extracted into liquid membrane and recovered into the stripping solution. The mathematical model was focused on the extraction side of the liquid membrane system. The mass transfer coefficients of the aqueous phase (k _i ) and organic phase (k _m ) are 7.15×10⁻³ and 3.45×10⁻² cm/s for As(III), and 1.07×10⁻² and 1.79×10⁻² cm/s for As(V). Therefore, the rate-controlling step for As(III) and As(V) in liquid membrane process is the mass transfer in the aqueous film between the feed solution and liquid membrane. The calculated mass transfer coefficients agree with the experimental results.     

Equilibria and kinetics for reactive extraction of lactic acid using Alamine 336 in decanol

Lactic acid is an important commercial product and extracting this from aqueous solution is a growing requirement in fermentation‐based industries. The design of an amine extraction process requires (i) equilibrium and (ii) kinetic data for the acid–amine (solvent) system used. The equilibrium complexation constants for ratios of (1:1) and (2:1) have been estimated. The kinetics of extraction of lactic acid by Alamine 336 in decanol has also been determined. The reaction between lactic acid and Alamine 336 in decanol in a stirred cell falls in Regime 3, ie extraction accompanied by a fast chemical reaction occurring in the diffusion film. The reaction has been found to be zero order in Alamine 336 and first order in lactic acid with a rate constant of 0.21 s^?1. These data will be useful in the design of extraction processes. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Separation of Zinc Ions from an Acidic Mine Drainage using a Stirred Transfer Cell–Type Emulsion Liquid Membrane Contactor

Abstract

This is a report on the separation and recovery of zinc ions from an acidic mine drainage using a stirred transfer cell‐type emulsion liquid membrane contactor. Di(2‐ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid was used as a highly selective carrier for the transport of zinc ions through the emulsified liquid membrane. A study was made of the effect on the extraction extent and initial extraction rate of the following variables: pH and initial metal concentration of the feed phase, carrier content in the organic solution, a stripping agent concentration in the receiving phase, and stirring speed in the transfer cell. The content of sulfuric acid as a stripping agent did not show in the studied range any significant influence on metal permeation through the SLM, although a minimum hydrogen ion concentration of 100 g/L is suggested in the internal aqueous solution to ensure an acidity gradient between both aqueous phases to promote the permeation of metal ions toward the strip liquor. Results show that using a pH of 4.0 in the feed acid solution, a concentration of 3% w/w_o of phosphoric carrier in the organic phase and a H₂SO₄ content of 100 g/L in the strip liquor, the extent and rate of extraction through the liquid membrane can be highly favored, pointing to the potential of this method for extracting heavy metals from many kinds of dilute aqueous solutions.     

Synergistic Solvent Extraction and Transport of Zn(II) and Cu(II) across Polymer Inclusion Membranes with a Mixture of TOPO and Aliquat 336

Separation of zinc(II) and copper(II) ions from aqueous solutions by synergistic extraction and transport through polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) has been investigated. A mixture of trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) and trioctymethylammonium chloride (Aliquat 336) was used as a selective extractant as well as an ion carrier in polymer membranes. The effects of hydrochloric acid concentration in the aqueous phase and extractants concentration in the organic phase on the separation process of zinc(II) and copper(II) ions have been studied. Zn(II) ions were successfully separated from Cu(II) ions in solvent extraction process using 0.025 M TOPO and 0.06 M Aliquat 336 in kerosene. Polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) containing a mixture of TOPO and Aliquat 336 as the ion carrier have been prepared and the facilitated transport of Zn(II) and Cu(II) ions has been studied. The influence of membrane composition on the transport kinetic of Zn(II) and Cu(II) has been evaluated. Zn(II) ions were preferably transported from the aqueous solutions containing Cu(II) and above 87% of Zn(II) ions were effectively recovered from the 0.5 M HCl solution as the source phase through PIM into 0.5 M H₂SO₄ as the stripping phase.     

Amoxicillin Extraction from Aqueous Solution by Emulsion Liquid Membranes Using Response Surface Methodology

The extraction of amoxicillin (AMX) from aqueous solutions by emulsion liquid membranes (ELMs) was investigated for the first time. The liquid membrane phase of the ELM consisted of Aliquat 336 as carrier, Span 80 as surfactant, n‐hexane as diluent, and sodium chloride solution as internal phase. Response surface methodology (RSM) based on central composite design (CCD) was applied to evaluate and optimize the effects of several parameters such as carrier concentration, feed concentration, internal phase concentration, and treat ratio (volume ratio of the external phase to the emulsion phase). A polynomial model was fitted to predict the extraction yield of AMX. Under optimized conditions, the highest extraction yield of AMX was 99.8 %.     

liquid–liquid extraction of lactic acid with Alamine 336

The extraction of lactic acid (HL) from aqueous solutions by Alamine 336 (B) dissolved in toluene was studied. Experiments were performed in the temperature range of 25–60°C and for two amine concentrations of 20 and 40% (v/v) in toluene. The extent to which the organic phase (amine + toluene) may be loaded with lactic acid is expressed as a loading ratio, Z = C_HL /C_B. Z values are independent of the amine concentration and, hence, the extracted complex contains only one molecule of amine. Z decreases with increasing temperature. Experimental results indicate that the system presents overloading, i.e. Z > 1. The extraction equilibrium may be interpreted as a result of consecutive formation of three acid–amine species with stoichiometries of 1:1, 2:1 and 3:1.     

Investigation of liquid–liquid phase equilibria for reactive extraction of lactic acid with organophosphorus solvents

BACKGROUND: Lactic acid is a versatile commodity chemical with a variety of applications. Synthesis of lactic acid either through fermentation of carbohydrates or through chemical synthesis is state of the art. Separation from dilute aqueous solution is complex and accounts for the major part of production costs. Reactive extraction based on reversible adduct formation is a promising alternative for the separation of lactic acid. RESULTS: Extraction was carried out with the organophosphorus solvents tri‐n‐butyl phosphate, tri‐n‐octylphosphine oxide and Cyanex 923. Shellsol T was used as diluent. Partition coefficients increase with increasing extractant content and decreasing temperature. Cyanex 923 has several advantages compared with tri‐n‐butyl phosphate and tri‐n‐octylphosphine oxide with respect to lactic acid distribution and hydrodynamic properties. Liquid‐liquid phase equilibria for lactic acid extraction with Cyanex 923 were modeled. Selectivity of lactic acid extraction with respect to glycolic acid and formic acid was discussed. CONCLUSION: The organophosphorus extractant Cyanex 923 was found to be an appropriate solvent for lactic acid extraction from aqueous solutions. Experimental data and model data based on the Law of Mass Action showed good agreement. Lactic acid extraction from multi‐acid solution showed good selectivity compared with glycolic acid. Lactic acid selectivity is low with respect to formic acid. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry