Removal of phenolic compounds from aqueous solutions using Aliquat 336 as a carrier in emulsion liquid membrane

A carrier-mediated separation of phenolic compounds from the dilute aqueous solution was studied with an emulsion liquid membrane, constituted by a solution of ionic liquid (Aliquat 336) in kerosene, sodium hydroxide as a stripping agent and Sorbitan monooleate as a surfactant. The effects on various operating parameters such as surfactant concentration, carrier concentration, emulsification time, strip agent concentration, stirring speed, phase volume ratio, external phase pH and treat ratio were experimentally investigated. Additionally, a stability test was performed under a static condition using Rose Bengal dye. The results showed that the stability of emulsion and extraction was enhanced on adding Aliquat 336 in membrane phase, and it has been verified by FT-IR spectra. By selecting appropriate conditions, the stability and life span of membrane was increased by six times and the percentage of removal of phenol increases upto 99.3% at the treat ratio of 3.