Feasibility of Adsorption Kinetic Models to Study Carrier-Mediated Transport of Heavy Metal Ions in Emulsion Liquid Membranes

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.

The Effect of Emulsifiers on the Emulsion Stability and Extraction Efficiency of Cr(VI) Using Emulsion Liquid Membranes (ELMs) Formulated with a Green Solvent

The stability of emulsion liquid membranes (ELMs) and their ability to extract Cr(VI) were investigated. The objective of this study is to compare different ELM formulations using combinations of two hydrophilic (Tween 20 and Tween 80) and two lipophilic (polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) and Span 80) emulsifiers. TOPO (tri-n-octylphosphine oxide) as a carrier and a green solvent (sunflower oil) were used to provide high extraction efficiency of Cr(VI). All these double emulsions were characterized in droplet size distribution, zeta potential, visual inspection with a microscope, and stability. The best formulation was obtained with PGPR as the inner stabilizer and Tween 80 as the outer stabilizer, leading to Cr(VI) ion removal efficiency of up to 96%.

Synthesis of Calcium Carbonate Micro Particles using Emulsion Membrane Process Applied for Drug Release Studies

The aim of this work is the synthesis of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) nano and microparticles and their application as biomaterials (vehicles) for the sustained release of doxycycline. CaCO3 micro particles were synthesized by water-in oil (W/O) emulsion method using emulsion liquid membranes with bis (2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (D2EHPA) as carrier, Span 80 as surfactant, and toluene and kerosene as organic solvents. The aqueous phases contained 1 M CaCl2, and 1 M Na2CO3, respectively. The Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) data showed CaCO3 particles with sizes ranging from around 100 nm to 3500 nm. The CaCO3 particles with the average diameters around 600 nm attained an adsorbtion of doxycycline of maximum 97.9%, and a slow and steady release with a cumulative value of approximative 50% after ten days.