Emulsion stability of liquid surfactant membrane for silver extraction from aqueous phase.

Abstract

Separation processes based on the liquid surfactant membrane (LSM) have become a popular alternative technology to remove hazardous metals ions from industrial wastewater due to the separation efficiency and cost effective. However, the performance of LSM system is associated with the emulsion instability that will cause the membrane rupture. Therefore, this study aims on identifying the best conditions to achieve minimal breakage and at the same time meliorate the LSM stability for silver extraction. To extract silver (Ag+) from aqueous solutions, LSM is made up of Trioctylamine (TOA) as a carrier, BURUH cooking palm oil as an environmentally friendly diluent, sodium hydroxide as a stripping agent, and Span 80 as a surfactant. The effect of the external phase (Ag+) concentration and emulsification time on the LSM stability and breakage were explored. The results demonstrated that the best conditions to enhance the stability of LSM were at 30 ppm of the external phase concentration and 15 minutes of emulsification time. Hence, it can be inferred that the LSM system has significant application potential to maximize silver extraction from industrial wastewater and ensure the development of a green environment for future generations.