Green Emulsified Liquid Membrane for Hexavalent Chromium Extraction: Formulation and Process Optimization

Abstract

The influence of several formulation and operating conditions on hexavalent chromium extraction by green emulsified liquid membranes (GELMs) was studied. An excellent removal efficiency was achieved under optimized conditions. The optimum GELM formulation in terms of stability was obtained with tri-n-octylphosphine oxide (TOPO) as extractant, polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) and polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate (Tween 80) as stabilizers in sunflower oil. Optimum GELMs showed a monomodal distribution of sizes around 1.29 mm. Results confimed that the use of a vegetable solvent and PGPR for GELM formulation is a promising alternative to petroleum organic solvents.

Tailoring Activated Carbon Properties for Pb(II) and Cr(VI) Removal from Water in Continuous Mode

“…For instance, the World Health Organization set a limit of 50 and 10 mg L -1 for chromium and lead in drinking water, respectively [9]. Consequently, various treatments have been applied to remove heavy metals, such as chemical precipitation, ion exchange, electrochemical methods, or membrane filtration [6,7,10,11]. However, most of these methods are often suitable only for large-scale treatments and their implementation is usually very expensive.…”