Emulsion Liquid Membrane for Heavy Metals Removal: Emulsion Breaking Study

Abstract

Emulsion liquid membrane (ELM) method has been widely applied in the separation process as the alternative of liquid/liquid extraction. This study compared the application of microwave, ultrasonic probe, and centrifuge in breaking the used emulsion. Demulsification efficiency was investigated in term of water content in the membrane phase solution before and after demulsification. The results showed that the use of microwave to break the used emulsion provided demulsification efficiency of 98.10%, while application of ultrasonic probe was able to break emulsion at efficiency of 98.45%. In the meantime, demulsification efficiency of almost 97% was achieved when employing centrifuge at centrifugation speed of 3000 rpm. Considering the energy consumption, it is recommended to apply microwave irradiation for emulsion breaking. It could save energy up to 97% and 99% compared to that of ultrasonic probe and centrifuge, respectively.