Theoretical and Experimental Study of Vanadium Recovery from Acidic Solutions into PIMs Based on β-Cyclodextrin and Resorcinarene

The present work describes the quantification of the extraction processes of VO2+ ions through polymeric inclusion membranes. beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) and resorcinarene (RESO) were used as extractive agents, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was used as polymer support. After the characterization of developed membranes, they were adopted to carry out the studied processes. Different parameters were determined, such as permeability (P) and initial flux (J0), specific to membrane performance, association constant (Kass), and apparent diffusion coefficient (D*) relating to the movement of VO2+ ions through the membrane phase. A significant effect was observed for temperature influence, and activation parameters were identified. The results indicate a high performance of the PVA/RESO membrane and the mechanisms by successive jumps of VO2+ ions on semi-mobile sites. Energy and kinetic control aspects are elucidated for studied processes through the employed membranes. This study allows a new approach to developing high-performance green membranes for the recovery of Vanadium from wastewater and reducing their negative impact on the aquatic environment.