An Ionic Supported Liquid Membrane for the Recovery of Bisphenol A from Aqueous Solution

Abstract

In this work, a flat supported liquid membrane (FSLM) was applied for the extraction of bisphenol A (BPA) from aqueous solutions, using an ionic liquid as a carrier. The liquid membrane consists of tricaprylmethylammonium chloride (aliquat 336®) diluted in 2-octanol. Furthermore, to obtain the best transport efficiency, the impacts of various experimental parameters were investigated. These parameters included aliquat 336® concentration, the concentration of BPA in the feed phase, the pH of the feed phase, the concentration of NaOH in the receiving phase, the polymeric support nature, the percentage of extractant in the organic phase, and the solvent nature. The optimum conditions of the experiment were 50% (v/v) aliquat 336®/2-octanol as the organic phase, a transport time of 8 h, and 1 × 10−2 mol L−1 NaOH as the receiving phase. The BPA was successfully recovered (the recovery percentage was about 89%). Supported liquid membrane-based aliquat 336®/2-octanol displayed an acceptable stability with re-impregnation after 5 days of operation.

Keywords

• liquid membrane
• bisphenol A
• ionic liquid