Ibuprofen (IBP) is a pharmaceutical product that is widely prescribed as an over-the-counter painkiller. It has been classified as a contaminant of emerging concern (CEC) that has received global attention in the search for a better wastewater separation technology. The emulsion liquid membrane (ELM) is one of the potential solutions for IBP removal from wastewater owing to its advantages, such as the ability to remove a highly soluble solute, energy efficient and tuneable formulation. To develop this ELM, a series of parameters such as stirring speed, emulsification time, organic to internal phase volume ratio (O/I), internal phase concentration, carrier concentration and surfactant concentration were studied. The extraction was carried out for 15 min stirring time and the concentration of IBP in the feed phase was determined using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The optimum formulation for the ELM was found at 300 rpm stirring speed, 20 min emulsification time, 3:1 of O/I, 0.1 M ammonia, NH3 (stripping agent), 6 wt% trioctylamine, TOA (carrier) and 2 wt% sorbitan monooleate, Span 80 (non-ionic surfactant). IBP removal of 89% was achieved at the optimum parameters of ELM. The current research demonstrated that a newly formulated ELM has great potential in removing a low concentration IBP from wastewater.
Ibuprofen (IBP) has become increasingly widespread in our environment, posing a major problem for treatment by its high occurrence in low concentrations. Emulsion liquid membrane (ELM) technology has emerged as an alternative solution for removing low concentration pollutants from contaminated sources. This study screened ELM formulations for the removal of IBP from an aqueous solution. Emulsion screening was conducted using a series of reactants, including petroleumbased diluent, green diluent, and acidic/alkaline stripping agent. The ELM system, which included hexane (diluent), 0.1 M sodium carbonate, Na2CO3 (stripping agent), 2 wt% Aliquat 336 (carrier) and 4 wt% Span 80 (surfactant), achieved the highest IBP extraction efficiency of 97%.
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