Transport of strontium through a hollow fibre supported liquid membrane containing N,N,N′,N′-tetraoctyl diglycolamide as the carrier Original Research Article

Facilitated transport of Sr2 + from nitric acid solution was investigated using N,N,N′,N′-tetraoctyl diglycolamide (TODGA) + 5% iso-decanol diluted in n-dodecane as the organic phase. Hollow fibre supported liquid membrane (HFSLM) operated in a recycling mode was investigated for this purpose. Effect of initial feed metal ion concentration, carrier liquid concentration, and initial nitric acid concentration in feed, along with the effect of hydrodynamic properties, on Sr2 + transport was investigated. The Sr2 + concentration in the aqueous feed phase varied in the range 50–200 ppm; TODGA concentration was varied in the range 0.1–0.3 M. At high carrier liquid concentration and high initial nitric acid concentration in feed, an enhancement in mass transfer flux was observed. Variation in the hydrodynamic conditions did not show any appreciable effect on mass transfer flux. At higher acidity, transport rates were significantly affected owing to the carrier-aided co-transport of nitric acid. Membrane stability was remarkably good even after eight consecutive runs.