SUPPORTED LIQUID MEMBRANES FOR THE SEPARATION CONCENTRATION OF PHENOL .1. VIABILITY AND MASS-TRANSFER EVALUATION

The application of a hollow fiber supported liquid membrane system for the simultaneous recovery and concentration of phenol is considered. Kerosene and mixtures of kerosene and methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) were immobilized in the porous wall of two different polypropylene hollow fibers. The viability of the simultaneous separation and concentration of phenol was checked, verifying the stability of the system for long operation times. The phenol separation rate was studied using batch and continuous experimentals. First-order models have been developed to calculate the overall permeability coefficients. From application of the film theory, the contribution of the membrane permeability to the overall mass transport resistance has been analyzed, assessing the influence of the distribution coefficient on the permeating rate. From the resulting values of the membrane mass transport parameter k(m), the effective diffusivity of phenol in the supported liquid membrane has been calculated.