Removal of Zinc (II) from aqueous phase by hybrid liquid membrane process

Removal of zinc (II) as a heavy metal is studied by applying a new design of hybrid cell for liquid membrane process. Tri-iso-octyl amine (TIOA) is used as the carrier in the organic phase. The concentration of zinc (II) in the samples is measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The effect of various parameters including type of supporting membrane, pH of feed and stripping phases, initial concentration of zinc (II), carrier concentration, type of solvent, and also organic film resistance on mass transfer rate and removal efficiency are studied. The effect of temperature on mass transfer flux is studied by proposing a prediction model. The optimum carrier concentration is found to be about 0.15 M. The appropriate values of pH for feed and stripping phases are about 1.4 and 12.8, respectively.