Effect of Stripping Agent Type on Internal Phase Using Emulsion Liquid Membrane Method in Metal Complex Separation

Metal complexes are formed when a metal element coordinates with a ligand through a coordinate covalent bond. Metal elements come from the transition metal group, including lanthanides and actinides, such as heavy metals and rare earth metals. Heavy metals have a high density, atomic weight, or atomic number. Rare earth metals (LTJ) comprise 15 elements lanthanides, scandium, and itrium. Complex metals are potentially hazardous to health and the environment and must be separated. Emulsion liquid membrane (ELM) is used for the separation of complex metals as it is effective and efficient. ELM involves external, membrane, and internal phases. The internal phase is important in the separation process as it carries stripping agents to pull metals from the membrane to the internal phase. The choice of stripping agent concentration in the internal phase such as HNO3, H2SO4, HCl, NaOH, and Na2CO3 affects the extraction efficiency in the separation of complexing metals using ELM. This article aims to evaluate the effect of stripping agent concentration on extraction efficiency.