Removal of copper(II) from an aqueous phase using emulsion liquid membranes in a hybrid system

Liquid membrane technology has been used to separate heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and other chemicals because of several advantages compared to conventional polymeric membrane processes. An emulsion liquid membrane was prepared to evaluate its performance for extraction of copper (II) ions from an aqueous phase. A hybrid system, combining a conventional batch system and an air bubbler system, was designed to increase the extraction efficiency for copper extraction with the emulsion liquid membrane system. The optimal conditions for copper extraction with both the hybrid system and the conventional system were investigated. The parameters causing the emulsion to break during the extraction process were investigated because of their relation to extraction efficiency. Used emulsion droplets were broken for recycling in this study.; The major experimental parameters (temperature of emulsification, type of extraction system, the ratio of the membrane phase to the external phase, the concentration of the internal and external phase, the speed of the agitator and the homogenizer, emulsification methods, the emulsion droplet injecting device, and the air supply for the hybrid system) were varied to find the optimal condition for copper extraction from an aqueous phase. Three methods were tested to make emulsion droplets. The devices for injecting emulsion droplets and for producing the air bubbles were designed for this study.; Results indicate that more than 99% of the solute was extracted by emulsion liquid membranes when they consisted of a solution composed of kerosene (70 mL), P-5100RTM (10 mL), Span-80RTM (5mL), and 3M sulfuric acid (50 mL), and produced with the homogenizer at 8,000 rpm (5 minutes) for the first mixing and 13,500 rpm (10 minutes) for the second emulsification at 301 K. The hybrid system was more efficient than the simple system. The emulsion injecting device greatly affected the extraction efficiency. Major factors affecting the emulsion breakage were agitator speed, temperature of the extraction system, and the emulsion injecting device in this experiment.; A mathematical model was proposed for copper extraction, and it was tested. The new system designed in our study is efficient in copper extraction.