Effect of Plasticizer Type on Polymer Inclusion Membranes Properties and Performance for Zinc Separation

The goal of the present study is to evaluate the effect of plasticizer in PIMs properties and performance for zinc separation. Membranes were prepared by casting a solution containing poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC) as base polymer, di (2‐ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) as carrier, and 2‐nitrophenyl octyl ether (NPOE) or tris (2‐butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBEP) as plasticizers. The newly developed PIMs transported practically all Zn II ions from a feed phase at pH 5 to a 1 M H 2 SO 4 stripping phase. The results showed that the transport flux and its efficiency depend on the chemical nature of the plasticizer. It can be perceived that NPOE (with dielectric constant of 23.1) produced the highest transport flux of zinc (J 0 =1.62±0.05 10 −5 mol m −2 s −1 ). The single ion transport of zinc was significantly higher than the binary and ternary mixtures. In ternary solution, the transport efficiency for metal ions was in the order of Zn II >Cu II >Ni II . The transport efficiency of the PVC/NPOE/D2EHPA membrane remained constant until the seventh use. The findings of this work will allow the invention of advanced separation technology ensuring the sustainability of metal resources.