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Man GT, Albu PC, Nechifor AC, Grosu AR, Tanczos SK, Grosu VA, Ioan MR, Nechifor G. Thorium Removal, Recovery and Recycling: A Membrane Challenge for Urban Mining. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:765. [PMID: 37755188 PMCID: PMC10538078 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13090765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Although only a slightly radioactive element, thorium is considered extremely toxic because its various species, which reach the environment, can constitute an important problem for the health of the population. The present paper aims to expand the possibilities of using membrane processes in the removal, recovery and recycling of thorium from industrial residues reaching municipal waste-processing platforms. The paper includes a short introduction on the interest shown in this element, a weak radioactive metal, followed by highlighting some common (domestic) uses. In a distinct but concise section, the bio-medical impact of thorium is presented. The classic technologies for obtaining thorium are concentrated in a single schema, and the speciation of thorium is presented with an emphasis on the formation of hydroxo-complexes and complexes with common organic reagents. The determination of thorium is highlighted on the basis of its radioactivity, but especially through methods that call for extraction followed by an established electrochemical, spectral or chromatographic method. Membrane processes are presented based on the electrochemical potential difference, including barro-membrane processes, electrodialysis, liquid membranes and hybrid processes. A separate sub-chapter is devoted to proposals and recommendations for the use of membranes in order to achieve some progress in urban mining for the valorization of thorium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geani Teodor Man
- Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Engineering Department, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 011061 Bucharest, Romania; (G.T.M.); (A.C.N.); (A.R.G.)
- National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenics and Isotopic Technologies—ICSI, 240050 Râmnicu Valcea, Romania
| | - Paul Constantin Albu
- Radioisotopes and Radiation Metrology Department (DRMR), IFIN Horia Hulubei, 023465 Măgurele, Romania; (P.C.A.); (M.-R.I.)
| | - Aurelia Cristina Nechifor
- Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Engineering Department, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 011061 Bucharest, Romania; (G.T.M.); (A.C.N.); (A.R.G.)
| | - Alexandra Raluca Grosu
- Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Engineering Department, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 011061 Bucharest, Romania; (G.T.M.); (A.C.N.); (A.R.G.)
| | - Szidonia-Katalin Tanczos
- Department of Bioengineering, University Sapientia of Miercurea-Ciuc, 500104 Miercurea Ciuc, Romania;
| | - Vlad-Alexandru Grosu
- Department of Electronic Technology and Reliability, Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technology, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 061071 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Mihail-Răzvan Ioan
- Radioisotopes and Radiation Metrology Department (DRMR), IFIN Horia Hulubei, 023465 Măgurele, Romania; (P.C.A.); (M.-R.I.)
| | - Gheorghe Nechifor
- Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Engineering Department, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 011061 Bucharest, Romania; (G.T.M.); (A.C.N.); (A.R.G.)
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Ghorbanpour P, Jahanshahi M. Silver extraction using emulsion liquid membrane system containing D2EHPA-TBP as synergistic carrier: optimization through response surface methodology. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY 2023; 44:407-415. [PMID: 34424137 DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2021.1972346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The present investigation deals with silver extraction using an emulsion liquid membrane. The emulsion liquid membrane system consists of paraffin as organic phase, Span 80 as surfactant, Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) and Tributyl Phosphate (TBP) as carrier, and hydrochloric acid as stripping agent. Experiments were designed and modeled by response surface methodology using Design Expert 11 software, which determines the extraction rate as a function of Span 80 concentration, D2EHPA concentration, TBP concentration, HCl concentration, and treatment ratio. The ANOVA results indicate that the model is statistically significant because of the high R2 (0.9828) and the low p-value of <0.0001. The results showed that the silver extraction increases by increasing all affecting parameters up to their optimal values and after that extraction rate decreases with increasing of them. The process was optimized to obtain maximum extraction rate, minimum D2EHPA concentration, and minimum treatment ratio. The optimal conditions were obtained at a surfactant concentration 3.26% (V/V), D2EHPA concentration 0.0045 mol/L, TBP concentration 5% (V/V), HCl concentration 0.56 mol/L, and treatment ratio 0.5. Under these conditions, the silver extraction rate was 99.87%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Payam Ghorbanpour
- Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol, Iran
| | - Mohsen Jahanshahi
- Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol, Iran
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Kostanyan AE, Belova VV, Voshkin AA. Three- and Multi-Phase Extraction as a Tool for the Implementation of Liquid Membrane Separation Methods in Practice. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:membranes12100926. [PMID: 36295685 PMCID: PMC9608080 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12100926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
To promote the implementation of liquid membrane separations in industry, we have previously proposed extraction methods called three- and multi-phase extraction. The three-phase multi-stage extraction is carried out in a cascade of bulk liquid membrane separation stages, each comprising two interconnected (extraction and stripping) chambers. The organic liquid membrane phase recycles between the chambers within the same stage. In multi-phase extraction, each separation stage includes a scrubbing chamber, located between the extraction and stripping chambers. The three- and multi-phase multi-stage extraction technique can be realized either in a series of mixer-settler extractors or in special two- or multi-chamber extraction apparatuses, in which the convective circulation of continuous membrane phase between the chambers takes place due to the difference in emulsion density in the chambers. The results of an experimental study of the extraction of phenol from sulfuric acid solutions in the three-phase extractors with convective circulation of continuous membrane phase are presented. Butyl acetate was used as an extractant. The stripping of phenol from the organic phase was carried out with 5-12% NaOH aqueous solutions. The prospects of using three-phase extractors for wastewater treatment from phenol are shown. An increase in the efficiency of three-phase extraction can be achieved by carrying out the process in a cascade of three-phase apparatuses.
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Ferencz (Dinu) A, Grosu AR, Al-Ani HNA, Nechifor AC, Tanczos SK, Albu PC, Crăciun ME, Ioan MR, Grosu VA, Nechifor G. Operational Limits of the Bulk Hybrid Liquid Membranes Based on Dispersion Systems. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:membranes12020190. [PMID: 35207110 PMCID: PMC8877906 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12020190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 01/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Liquid membranes usually have three main constructive variants: bulk liquid membranes (BLM), supported liquid membranes (SLM) and emulsion liquid membranes (ELM). Designing hybrid variants is very topical, with the main purpose of increasing the flow of substance through the membrane but also of improving the selectivity. This paper presents the operational limits of some kind of hybrid membrane constituted as a bulk liquid membrane (BLM), but which works by dispersing the aqueous source (SP) and receiving (RP) phases, with the membrane itself being a dispersion of nanoparticles in an organic solvent (NP–OSM). The approached operational parameters were the volume of phases of the hybrid membrane system, the thickness of the liquid membrane, the working temperature, the flow of aqueous phases, the droplet size of the aqueous phases dispersed across the membrane, the nature and concentration of nanoparticles in the membrane, the pH difference between the aqueous phases, the nature of the organic solvent, the salt concentration in the aqueous phases and the nature of transported chemical species. For this study, silver ion (SI) and p-nitrophenol (PNP) were chosen as transportable chemical species, the n-aliphatic alcohols (C6…C12) as membrane organic solvents, 10–undecenoic acid (UDAc) and 10-undecylenic alcohol (UDAl) as carriers and magnetic iron oxides as nanoparticles dispersed in the membrane phase. Under the experimentally established operating conditions, separation efficiencies of over 90% were obtained for both ionic and molecular chemical species (silver ions and p-nitrophenol). The results showed the possibility of increasing the flow of transported chemical species by almost 10 times for the silver ion and approximately 100 times for p-nitrophenol, through the appropriate choice of operational parameters, but they also exposed their limits in relation to the stability of the membrane system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreea Ferencz (Dinu)
- Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Engineering Department, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 011061 Bucharest, Romania; (A.F.); (A.R.G.); (H.N.A.A.-A.); (M.E.C.); (G.N.)
| | - Alexandra Raluca Grosu
- Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Engineering Department, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 011061 Bucharest, Romania; (A.F.); (A.R.G.); (H.N.A.A.-A.); (M.E.C.); (G.N.)
| | - Hussam Nadum Abdalraheem Al-Ani
- Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Engineering Department, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 011061 Bucharest, Romania; (A.F.); (A.R.G.); (H.N.A.A.-A.); (M.E.C.); (G.N.)
- Chemical Industries Department, Institute of Technology, Middle Technical University, Al Zafaraniyah, Baghdad 10074, Iraq
| | - Aurelia Cristina Nechifor
- Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Engineering Department, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 011061 Bucharest, Romania; (A.F.); (A.R.G.); (H.N.A.A.-A.); (M.E.C.); (G.N.)
- Correspondence: (A.C.N.); (V.-A.G.)
| | - Szidonia-Katalin Tanczos
- Department of Bioengineering, University Sapientia of Miercurea-Ciuc, 500104 Miercurea-Ciuc, Romania;
| | - Paul Constantin Albu
- Radioisotopes and Radiation Metrology Department (DRMR), IFIN Horia Hulubei, 023465 Măgurele, Romania; (P.C.A.); (M.-R.I.)
| | - Mihaela Emanuela Crăciun
- Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Engineering Department, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 011061 Bucharest, Romania; (A.F.); (A.R.G.); (H.N.A.A.-A.); (M.E.C.); (G.N.)
| | - Mihail-Răzvan Ioan
- Radioisotopes and Radiation Metrology Department (DRMR), IFIN Horia Hulubei, 023465 Măgurele, Romania; (P.C.A.); (M.-R.I.)
| | - Vlad-Alexandru Grosu
- Department of Electronic Technology and Reliability, Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technology, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 061071 Bucharest, Romania
- Correspondence: (A.C.N.); (V.-A.G.)
| | - Gheorghe Nechifor
- Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Engineering Department, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 011061 Bucharest, Romania; (A.F.); (A.R.G.); (H.N.A.A.-A.); (M.E.C.); (G.N.)
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Diaconu I, Pârvulescu OC, Topală SL, Dobre T. Effects of process factors on performances of liquid membrane-based transfer of indole-3-acetic acid. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23427. [PMID: 34873229 PMCID: PMC8648829 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02876-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The paper has aimed at studying the transfer of indole 3-acetic acid (IAA) from a feed aqueous solution to a stripping aqueous solution of NaOH using a chloroform bulk liquid membrane and trioctylamine (TOA) as a ligand (L). Initial molar concentrations of IAA in the feed phase, cIAA,F0 (10–4–10–3 kmol/m3), of TOA in the membrane phase, cL,M0 (10–2 and 10–1 kmol/m3), and of NaOH in the stripping phase, cNaOH,S0 (10–2 and 1 kmol/m3), were selected as process factors. Their effects on the final values of IAA concentration in the feed phase (cIAA,Ff) and stripping solution (cIAA,Sf), extraction efficiency (EF), distribution coefficient (KD), and recovery efficiency (ER) were quantified using multiple regression equations. Regression coefficients were determined from experimental data, i.e., cIAA,Ff,ex = 0.02–1 × 10–4 kmol/m3, cIAA,Sf,ex = 0.22–2.58 × 10–3 kmol/m3, EF,ex = 90.0–97.9%, KD,ex = 9.0–46.6, and ER,ex = 66.5–94.2%. It was found that cIAA,F0 had the most significant positive effect on cIAA,Ff and cIAA,Sf, whereas cNaOH,S0 had a major positive effect on EF, KD, and ER. A deterministic model based on mass transfer of IAA was developed and its parameters, i.e., mass transfer coefficient of IAA-L complex in the liquid membrane (0.82–11.5 × 10–7 m/s) and extraction constant (1033.9–1779.7 m3/kmol), were regressed from experimental data. The effect of cL,M0 on both parameters was significant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioana Diaconu
- Department of Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, 1-6 Gheorghe Polizu, 011061, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Oana Cristina Pârvulescu
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, 1-6 Gheorghe Polizu, 011061, Bucharest, Romania.
| | - Sorina Laura Topală
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, 1-6 Gheorghe Polizu, 011061, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Tănase Dobre
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, 1-6 Gheorghe Polizu, 011061, Bucharest, Romania
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