INVESTIGATIONS OF LIQUID MEMBRANES FOR ZINC IONS REMOVAL FROM WATER SOLUTIONS

Experimental studies of zinc ion removal from wastewater by liquid membranes are described. The liquid membranes were composed of a hydrocarbon solvent i.e., n-paraffins having a density of 745 kg/m3, a surfactant, i.e., polyamine ECA 4360 and a carrier, i.e., (2-ethyl hexyl) phosphoric acid. A water solution of sulphuric acid was used as an internal phase. The continuous water phase contains zinc sulphate. The experiments were carried out in a batch apparatus. The effect of the process parameters on the removal of zinc ions was studied. The influence of the surfactant concentration and the carrier concentration was examined. The effect of the mixer revolutions during the emulsification process, the concentration of sulphuric acid inside the droplets the ratio of the internal phase volume to the membrane phase volume and the ratio of the emulsion volume to the continuous phase volume on the effectiveness of the process was taken into consideration.