Extracting metallurgy contaminants and hydrocarbons removing from water and industrial wastewater using enhanced emulsion liquid membrane with nanoparticles and ionic liquid

It is an uphill battle to extract pollutants such as heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and radioactive metals from water and industrial wastewater. Emulsion liquid membrane (ELM) is an emerging technology that combines extraction/recover and stripping in one stage to extract/recover heavy metals and/or hydrocarbons from water and wastewater. ELM devised a way to clean up heavy metals and/or hydrocarbons from the water and wastewater where its primary chemicals can be recycled and reused. In this work, the Emulsion Liquid Membrane (ELM) has been enhanced by adding nanoparticles and ionic liquid to significantly improve the recovery of the water-based contaminants of heavy metal and hydrocarbon compounds to near completion in a shorter duration of time and sustain the emulsion stability for longer time. Recovery of heavy metals of vanadium and lead have been studies separately and in combination where the nanoparticles have been added to the internal aqueous phase and the ionic liquid has been added to the organic phase. A recovery of 97 % in 3min and with emulsion stability exceeding for more than 78 hours have been obtained using 0.01% (W/W) nanoparticles and 5% (V/V) ionic liquid concentration. For hydrocarbon, 4-Nitrophenol compounds were removed effectively by achieving 99% in 1 minute removal with emulsion stability exceeding 6 hours using 0.05% (W/W) nanoparticles and 0.05% (V/V) ionic liquid concentration. The method is more efficient, cost effective and has a potential for a wide commercial application that could also potentially save entire regional ecosystems from harmful chemicals”--Abstract, page iv