Facilitated transport of phenol through supported liquid membrane containing bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfoxide (BESO) as the carrier

• PhOH transport using BESO as carrier was satisfactorily accomplished.
• Several operating factors were determined and optimized.
• High PhOH transport efficiency was obtained.
• PhOH diffusional parameters were evaluated.

Phenol (PhOH) transport from the aqueous solution through a supported liquid membrane (SLM) impregnated with bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfoxide (BESO) in kerosene was investigated. The fundamental parameters influencing PhOH transport, such as pH of the feed solution, stirring speed, carrier concentration, initial PhOH concentration and NaOH concentration in the stripping solution, were determined. The most acceptable for PhOH transport efficiency was observed under the following conditions: stirring speed of 800 rpm in both phases, 20% (v/v) BESO in kerosene as carrier, 2.13 mmol L−1 (200 mg L−1) PhOH in pH 2.00 solution and 0.20 mol L−1 NaOH as the stripping solution. Up to 91% of the PhOH in solution was transported from the feed phase to the stripping phase after 12 h of transport process at a permeation coefficient of 7.35 × 10−6 m s−1 under optimum conditions. A model depicting PhOH transport across the SLM was proposed. Experimental results revealed that the diffusion coefficient of the PhOH complex across the membrane was 6.15 × 10−11 m2 s−1 and the thickness of the aqueous diffusion layer was calculated to be 7.74 × 10−5 m. The results achieved in this study indicate that the SLM system developed with BESO/kerosene as the carrier could be a useful tool for removing PhOH from wastewaters.

Schematic diagram of phenol transfer process through SLM using BESO as carrier.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide