Extraction of humic acid by coacervate: Investigation of direct and back processes

The two aqueous phases extraction process is widely used in environmental clean up of industrial effluents and fine chemical products for their reuse. This process can be made by cloud point of polyethoxylated alcohols and micellar solubilization phenomenon. It is commonly called “coacervate extraction” and is used, in our case, for humic acid extraction from aqueous solution at 100 mg/L. The surfactants used are alcohol polyethoxylate and alkylphenol polyethoxylate. Phase diagrams of binary water/surfactant and pseudo-binary are plotted. The extraction results are expressed by the following responses: percentage of solute extracted, E (%), residual concentrations of solute and surfactant in dilute phase (Xs,w, and Xt,w respectively) and volume fraction of coacervate at equilibrium (ϕ). For each parameter, the experimental results are fitted to empirical equations in three dimensions. The aim of this study is to find out the best compromise between E and ϕC. The comparison between experimental and calculated values allows models validation. Sodium sulfate, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) addition and pH effect are also studied. Finally, the possibility of recycling the surfactant has been proved

Cationic Dye Removal from Aqueous Solutions Using Ionic Liquid and Nonionic Surfactant-Ionic Liquid Systems: A Comparative Study Based upon Experimental Design

In order to separate methylene blue from aqueous solution, a novel method based upon liquid-liquid extraction, using a nonionic surfactant-ionic liquid system as extracting phase, was investigated. A comparative study was carried out with the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, known as [C4mim]PF6. By using the nonionic surfactant-ionic liquid system, the extraction efficiency could reach 97.8%, indicating that the addition of nonionic surfactant (Triton X-114) significantly improves the extraction of methylene blue. Under optimal conditions, the dye concentration in the effluent showed an almost 50-fold reduction. However, the extraction extent of methylene blue was found to be low at low pH values, and in the presence of K2CO3, which may be useful for surfactant-ionic liquid system regeneration

Cloud Point Extraction of α-Amino Acids

Cloud point extraction with a polyethoxylated alcohol (Oxo-C10E4) is used to separate five α-amino acids: alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, and phenylalanine (0.75 wt.% in water), and their extraction efficiencies are compared. The variables affecting phase separation and extraction (wt.% surfactant and equilibrium temperature) are optimized using experimental design. The four responses are: percentage of solute extracted (E), residual concentrations of solute (amino acid) and surfactant in the dilute phase, and volume fraction of coacervate at equilibrium. E increases with surfactant concentration and amino acid hydrophobicity in the following order: alanin < valin < leucin < isoleucine < phenylalanine, with respective maximum values: 73, 74, 76, 78.5, and 95%, and decreases with a temperature rise. It also makes sense that aspartic and glutamic acids, much more hydrophilic, are poorly extracted (E ˜ 10%). The trend observed is consistent with water/n-octanol partition coefficient (Log P) of amino acids in pure water. A more detailed study is presented for alanine and phenylalanine. Addition of sodium sulphate or cetylammonium bromide greatly raises extraction rates