Separation of Lactic Acid through Polymer Inclusion Membranes Containing Ionic Liquids

Abstract

Optically pure lactic acid that can be prepared by fermentation is one of the important raw materials for biodegradable polymer. Since an economical technique is desired that separates lactic acid from the fermentation broth, we proposed lactate permeation through a poly(vinyl chloride)(PVC)-based membrane containing ionic liquids as a carrier. Lactate was successfully permeated through polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) containing Aliquat 336, Cyphos IL -101, and -102 as ionic liquids. From the viewpoints of permeation rates and the pH drop of the feed phase, Aliquat 336 was the best ionic liquid. Based on the experimental results, we calculated the overall mass transfer coefficients and evaluated the contribution of membrane resistance to the overall permeation resistance. Furthermore, permeation behavior was explained by the solution-diffusion model. The superior stability of PIMs over the supported ionic liquid membranes was observed for membranes containing Aliquat 336 as a carrier. The PVC-based membrane process containing Aliquat 336 was found to be promising for lactate separation on an industrial scale.

Determination of the Percolation Threshold for the Oxalic, Tartaric, and Lactic Acids Transport through Polymer Inclusion Membranes with 1-Alkylimidazoles as a Carrier

“…However, the main disadvantage of this method is the use of large volumes of organic solvents and the active compounds, which are often toxic for microorganisms applied in the fermentation processes (15,16). Another possibility which has been recently developed is a method using polymer inclusion membranes (17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22). Such a solution can allow not only for the reduction of the quantity of harmful by-products, but also reduce the amount of the substance used as carriers in the PIM.…”

Supported Ionic Liquid Membranes for Metal Separation

“…A PIM including ILs has a similar coniguration to SILM, and it is considered to be a kind of SILM. It is found that the PIM including ILs became more stable than conventional SILM [22].…”

New application of polymer inclusion membrane based on ionic liquids as proton exchange membrane in microbial fuel cell

“…PILIMs are obtaining by mixing the relatively inert polymeric supports with ionic liquids. Recently, it has been demonstrated the higher stability of PILIMs compared with SILMS against high polar medium [42] and PILIMs have been applied to different fields such us separation of organic compounds [43], metal ions [44] and in ions selective electrodes [45].…”