ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Transport of Butyric Acid through Layered Bulk Liquid Membranes

Š. Schlosser and E. Sabolová

Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Technology, Slovak University of Technology, SK-812 37 Bratislava

E-mail: schlosser@cvt.stuba.sk

Abstract: Transport of butyric acid (BA) through a layered bulk liquid membrane (BLM) with trioctylamine (TOA) as carrier has been studied. With increasing concentration of TOA from 0.2 to 0.6 the flux of BA through the BLM increased only by 16 % while the permeability (in the first approximation product of the distribution and diffusion coefficients) increased 2.7 times. The flux through the stripping interface increased with temperature, while the flux through the extraction interface remained practically constant. These facts can be interpreted by a slower reaction of the complex decomposition on the stripping interface and/or by saturation of the stripping interface with the molecules of complexes. A model of transport through a BLM, taking into account adsorption equilibrium of the complex and the reaction kinetics of its decomposition on the stripping interface, is suggested. The proposed model fits experimental data well. It has been found that the pseudofirst-order rate equation can be used only as a first approximation and a more detailed description of the reaction kinetics is required. A two-compartment contactor can be useful in studying the kinetics of the decomposition or formation of complexes on the stripping or extraction interfaces in pertraction or extraction.

Full paper in Portable Document Format: 536a403.pdf

Chemical Papers 53 (6) 403–411 (1999)