Recovery of Copper Ions from Wastewater by Hollow Fiber Supported Emulsion Liquid Membrane

Recovery of copper ions from wastewater using a hollow fiber supported emulsion liquid membrane (HFSELM) was studied with LIX984N as carrier, kerosene as diluents, and sulfuric acid solution as stripping phase. Effects of compositions of feed and emulsion liquid phase, flow rates on both sides of membrane, and hollow fiber module parameters were investigated. The stability of the emulsion liquid phase without surfactant and the effect of buffer in the feed phase on the extraction rate were also evaluated. It is found that the stability of the emulsion phase without surfactant is poor. Higher flow velocity gives shorter residence time for the emulsion liquid phase on the tube side, reducing the effect of particle coalescence on the separation process. The extraction rate increases with the increase of feed phase pH, carrier concentration, hydrogen ion concentration in the stripping phase, and effective hollow fiber area. The phase ratio in the emulsion liquid phase has a negative effect on extraction rate. The flow rates on both sides have little influence on the extraction performance of the HFSELM, while buffer addition in the feed solution improves the extraction efficiency.