Phenol extraction from wastewater using canola oil as an organic solvent in a liquid membrane process

Abstract

In order to find the best operating conditions, the extraction of phenol was studied from a simulate solution by using a liquid membrane emulsion (EML) and a factorial design. Span 80 was used as a surfactant, NaOH as an encapsulating agent, and three types of oil phase: canola oil, canola oil/octane mixture, and canola oil/paraffin mixture. The study of the simple emulsions gave as result that the more stable emulsions were canola oil and the mixture of canola oil/ paraffin. These are stable for 2 days, while emulsions of canola oil/octane are not, for they get separated. The maximum extraction was the 77,8 mg/L, using the mixture of the oil canola/ paraffin and 75,9 mg/L by just using canola oil as oil phase, achieving extraction percentages of 61,1% y 59,6%, respectively. As a result of the factorial design, none of the effects and interactions were significant, which is attributed to the saturation of the encapsulating agent.