A comparative study on experimental and response surface optimization of lactic acid synergistic extraction using green emulsion liquid membrane

A comparative study on the optimization of various operating variables of lactic acid (LA) synergistic extraction through an environment-friendly green emulsion liquid membrane (GELM) using experimental and response surface optimization has been done. The comparison between response surface methodology (RSM) and experimentally optimized values has been achieved by optimizing various operating variables (internal phase concentration, LA concentration, extractant concentration, emulsification time, treat ratio, phase ratio, agitation speed, and stirring time). The formulation of GELM organic phase constituents was done by using rice bran oil (RBO) as a green solvent, hexane as a diluent, span 80 as a surfactant, tridodecylamine (TDDA) and Aliquat336 as extractants, and NaOH as a stripping phase reagent. A better GELM stability during the LA extraction process was obtained by using the combination of RBO, TDDA, Aliquat336, and span 80. This study has shown a good agreement among all the values excluding the LA concentration and emulsification time. Hence, this present finding has indicated that RBO possesses the high potential to be utilized in the several standing ELM operations for lessening the use of toxic and costly petroleum-based organic solvents.