Synergistic extraction of gold(I) from aurocyanide solution with the mixture of primary amine N1923 and bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfoxide in supported liquid membrane

Two 3D Two-Fold Interpenetrated Dia-Like Polyoxometalate-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks: Synthesis and Sulfide Selective Oxidation Activity

Two new three-dimensional (3D) polyoxometalate-based metal-organic frameworks (POMOFs), [M2(btap)4(H2O)4(HPMo10VI Mo2VO40)] (M = Co (1) and Cd (2); btap = 3, 5-bis(1', 2', 4'-triazol-1'-yl)pyridine), have been synthesized under mild hydrothermal conditions and characterized in detail. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SXRD) analysis indicates that 1 and 2 are isostructural. In complexes 1 and 2, the metal ion is coordinated with the ligand to form two different left and right helical one-dimensional chains, which are alternately connected in a twisted form to build a two-fold interpenetrated three-dimensional structure, and the polyoxometalate is encapsulated into in the pores generated by the interpenetrating structure. It is noteworthy that 1 and 2, as recyclable catalysts, possess favorable heterogeneous catalytic activity and excellent sulfoxide selectivity in sulfide oxidation reactions, with H2O2 as an oxidant. By reason of the high dispersion of polyoxometalate with good intrinsic activity in the skeleton structure, the title complex has high activity. In addition, no obvious decrease of sulfoxide yield is observed after at least five cycles. These results indicate the excellent catalytic activity and sustainability of 1 and 2.

Outstanding Performance of the Deep Eutectic Solvent-Based Aqueous Biphasic System Constructed with Sodium Citrate for a Green Gold Separation

Aqueous biphasic systems (ABSs) that are based on deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are environmentally benign systems to use for metal ion separation. In this work, a series of DESs was synthesized for the first time with PEG 400 as hydrogen bond donors and tetrabutylphonium bromide (P₄Br), tetrabutylammonium bromide (N₄Br), or tetrabutylammonium chloride (N₄Cl) as hydrogen bond acceptors, and then they were combined with citrate (Na₃C₆H₅O₇), which is eco-friendly, to construct an ABS for use in the separation of Au(I) from an aurocyanide solution. Phase diagrams of DESs + Na₃C₆H₅O₇ + H₂O systems were constructed using the experimentally measured data. Multiple factors that affect the efficiency of the gold extraction were studied; these factors were the species of salt or DES and their content, the equilibrium pH, the oscillation time, and the initial gold concentration. Gold(I) is preferentially retained in the DES-rich phase, and the P₄Br:PEG 1:2 + Na₃C₆H₅O₇ + H₂O system has a high extraction efficiency of 100.0% under optimized conditions. FT-IR, NMR, and TEM characterizations and DFT calculations show that the migration of Au(I) from the salt-rich to the DES-rich phase follows an ion exchange mechanism. Specifically, Au(CN)₂^- replaces Br^- in the original P₄Br and generates a stable ion pair with the quaternary phosphonium salt cation, P⁺, and this replacement is driven by electrostatic attractions. A new strong hydrogen bond network simultaneously forms between the anionic Au(CN)₂^- and the -OH group in the PEG 400 component. Finally, the gold of Au(I)-loaded P₄Br:PEG 1:2 can be successfully reduced by sodium borohydride with an efficiency of 100.0%. The strategy to extract gold(I) from alkaline cyanide solutions using an ABS based on DESs as proposed in this work provides a potential platform for developing green technology for recovering gold.

A highly selective green supported liquid membrane by using a hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent for carrier-less transport of silver ions

A new supported liquid membrane (SLM) was designed by using a suitable deep eutectic solvent (DES) as the hydrophobic liquid membrane phase for the selective and facilitated carrier-less transport of Ag+ ions. The deep eutectic solvent was composed of a 4/1 molar ratio of l-menthol/salicylic acid and was impregnated into a microporous polypropylene membrane to prepare a novel carrier-less SLM system. The highly selective facilitated transport of silver ions was accomplished by using sodium thiosulfate as a highly selective stripping agent for Ag+ ions in the aqueous strip phase (SP). Some important factors, including the concentration of picric acid in the feed phase (FP), pH of the two aqueous phases, stirring rate, transport time, and nature and concentration of the stripping agent were also investigated and optimized. In the presence of 2.8 × 10-2 mol L-1 picrate ions as an appropriate ion pairing agent in the FP and 0.025 mol L-1 thiosulfate as a convenient metal ion acceptor in the SP, the amount of Ag+ ion transport found to occur almost quantitatively after 60 min is 90%. Compared with other SLM systems reported in the literature, the designed DES-SLM system exhibited suitable permeability and higher selectivity for Ag+ ion transport from aqueous solutions containing Fe2+, Mn2+, Cu2+, Ni2+, Pb2+, and Cd2+ as competing metal ions.

Utilization of green organic solvents in solvent extraction and liquid membrane for sustainable wastewater treatment and resource recovery-a review

Water pollution and depletion of natural resources have motivated the utilization of green organic solvents in solvent extraction (SX) and liquid membrane (LM) for sustainable wastewater treatment and resource recovery. SX is an old and established separation method, while LM, which combines both the solute removal and recovery processes of SX in a single unit, is a revolutionary separation technology. The organic solvents used for solute removal in SX and LM can be categorized into sole conventional, mixed conventional-green, and sole green organic solvents, whereas the stripping agents used for solute recovery include acids, bases, metal salts, and water. This review revealed that the performance of greener organic solvents (mixed conventional-green and sole green organic solvents) was on par with the sole conventional organic solvents. However, some green organic solvents may threaten food security, while others could be pricey. The distinctive extraction theories of various sole green organic solvents (free fatty acid-rich oils, triglyceride-rich oils, and deep eutectic solvents) affect their application suitability for a specific type of wastewater. Organic liquid wastes are among the optimal green organic solvents for SX and LM in consideration of their triple environmental, economic, and performance benefits.

Evolution of Environmentally Friendly Strategies for Metal Extraction

The demand for the recovery of valuable metals and the need to understand the impact of heavy metals in the environment on human and aquatic life has led to the development of new methods for the extraction, recovery, and analysis of metal ions. With special emphasis on environmentally friendly approaches, efforts have been made to consider strategies that minimize the use of organic solvents, apply micromethodology, limit waste, reduce costs, are safe, and utilize benign or reusable materials. This review discusses recent developments in liquid- and solid-phase extraction techniques. Liquid-based methods include advances in the application of aqueous two- and three-phase systems, liquid membranes, and cloud point extraction. Recent progress in exploiting new sorbent materials for solid-phase extraction (SPE), solid-phase microextraction (SPME), and bulk extractions will also be discussed.