Synergetic facilitated transport of nickel via supported liquid membrane process by a mixture of Di (2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid and n-octanol: Kinetic permeation study and approach for a green process

This work addresses the synergistic removal of nickel from the electroplating wastewater using a supported liquid membrane (SLM) process. The supported liquid membrane formulation consisting of Di-2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid (D2EHPA), n-octanol, kerosene, and sulfuric acid as a carrier, synergist, diluent, and stripping agent, respectively. The effects of several significant parameters namely D2EHPA, n-octanol, and sulfuric acid concentrations as well as feed and stripping phases flow rates were investigated. Results revealed that n-octanol as a synergist significantly affected the removal efficiency of nickel since it can modify the D2EHPA molecules in the membrane phase. Besides, a kinetic model for the nickel ion transport across SLM revealed that the transport resistances due to the diffusion across the membrane ( Δ o r g ), transport resistances due to the diffusion through the aqueous boundary layer ( Δ a q ) , thickness of the aqueous diffusion layer ( d a q ), and diffusion coefficient of the nickel-carrier complex across the membrane ( D o r g ) were found to be 2.90 × 105 sm−1, 1.94 × 104 sm−1, 1.24 × 10−5 m and 7.20 × 10−10 m2s−1, respectively. Interestingly, an approach to a green process by incorporating palm oil as a diluent showed that it is feasible to be applied and offers a green SLM process in the future.