The Effect of Emulsifiers on the Emulsion Stability and Extraction Efficiency of Cr(VI) Using Emulsion Liquid Membranes (ELMs) Formulated with a Green Solvent

Katia Anarakdim; Gemma Gutiérrez; Ángel Cambiella; Ounissa Senhadji-Kebiche; María Matos

doi:10.3390/membranes10040076

The Effect of Emulsifiers on the Emulsion Stability and Extraction Efficiency of Cr(VI) Using Emulsion Liquid Membranes (ELMs) Formulated with a Green Solvent

Membranes (Basel). 2020 Apr 21;10(4):76. doi: 10.3390/membranes10040076.

Authors

Katia Anarakdim¹, Gemma Gutiérrez², Ángel Cambiella², Ounissa Senhadji-Kebiche¹, María Matos²

Affiliations

¹ Laboratoire des Procédés Membranaires et des Techniques de Séparation et de Récupération, Département de Génie des Procédés, Université de Bejaia, Bejaia 06000, Algerie.
² Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Oviedo, Julián Clavería 8, 33006 Oviedo, Spain.

Abstract

The stability of emulsion liquid membranes (ELMs) and their ability to extract Cr(VI) were investigated. The objective of this study is to compare different ELM formulations using combinations of two hydrophilic (Tween 20 and Tween 80) and two lipophilic (polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) and Span 80) emulsifiers. TOPO (tri-n-octylphosphine oxide) as a carrier and a green solvent (sunflower oil) were used to provide high extraction efficiency of Cr(VI). All these double emulsions were characterized in droplet size distribution, zeta potential, visual inspection with a microscope, and stability. The best formulation was obtained with PGPR as the inner stabilizer and Tween 80 as the outer stabilizer, leading to Cr(VI) ion removal efficiency of up to 96%.

Keywords: PGPR; chromium extraction; double emulsion stability; liquid membrane; vegetable oil.

Abstract

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