Abstract

Polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) have received much attention as a greener method than other liquid membranes for the separation of a great number of chemical species. The expected horizon of industrial applications besides the advantages of greener characteristics of PIMs than other liquid membranes and solvent extraction methods, have resulted in development of the new PIMs for specific tasks. In the presented study, a PIM composed of polyvinyl chloride, Aliquat® 336, and oleic acid (50/40/10 wt%, respectively) is fabricated and its characteristics are studied. Membrane segments (3.5 cm diameter, 0.110 ± 0.013 g) can extract 73% of V(V) (initial concentration 50 mg L^-1) from 50 ml Na₂SO₄ solution (0.1 M) adjusted to pH 2.5 after 8 h shaking. The extraction is proceeded by an anion exchange mechanism in which chloride anion of the extractant is replaced by VO₂SO₄. It is approved that 97% of the extracted amount of V(V) is back-extracted from the loaded PIMs by contacting them, for 24 h, with 50 ml 7 mol L^-1 H₂SO₄/0.25 v/v% of H₂O₂. The PIM extracts selectively V(V) from the simulated solutions like that obtained by digestion of spent alumina hydrodesulfurization catalysts.