Polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) are an attractive approach to the separation of metals from an aqueous solution. This study is concerned with the use of 2-alkylimidazoles (alkyl = methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl) as ion carriers in PIMs. It investigates the separation of copper (II), zinc (II), cobalt (II), and nickel (II) from aqueous solutions with the use of polymer inclusion membranes. PIMs are formed by casting a solution containing a carrier (extractant), a plasticizer (o-NPPE), and a base polymer such as cellulose triacetate (CTA) to form a thin, flexible, and stable film. The topics discussed include transport parameters, such as the type of carrier, initial fluxes, separation coefficients of copper in relation to other metals, as well as transport recovery of metal ions. The membrane was characterized using AFM and SEM to obtain information on its composition.
Keywords: cobalt; copper; nickel; non-ferrous metal separation; polymer inclusion membrane; zinc.