Emulsion Liquid Membrane Pertraction of Zinc and Copper: Analysis of Emulsion Formation using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Abstract

This work reports on a study of batch extraction of metal ions (copper and zinc) from dilute aqueous solutions as well as recovery of copper from electroplating waste water by the emulsion liquid membrane (ELM) technique. Several experiments were conducted to assess the effect of membrane composition on metal recovery. The effect of surfactant concentration, carrier concentration, and emulsification time on the emulsion stability has been reported. The velocity profile and flow model of the two-phase mixing system during the preparation of the emulsion was generated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The batch extraction was carried out under various experimental conditions, such as agitation speed, M/E ratio, solute concentration in the feed phase, and carrier concentration in the membrane phase on the percentage recovery of zinc and copper ions in their respective feed streams. The operating parameters were optimized for maximum recovery. A comparison on the percentage recovery was made between synthetic solution and electroplating effluent containing copper ions.

Removal of copper and zinc from aqueous solutions and industrial effluents using emulsion liquid membrane technique

“…[19] In our earlier work, the flow pattern and velocity profile during the formation of emulsion at high speed were studied using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and reported. [20] This will largely help to enhance further studies in the area of phase inversion of emulsion and dispersion. Although numerous papers have already been reported on ELM extraction process, no literature was reported on detailed study on various factors affecting the emulsion breakup and stability time.…”