Desalination using modified configuration of supported liquid membrane with enhancement of mass transfer of NaCl

Supported liquid membranes (SLM) suffer from very slow mass transfer of the solute from the donor phase (DP) to the receptor phase (RP) through the liquid membrane (LM). In the present work, an attempt was made to accelerate the mass transfer in SLM by creating a modified configuration in which the DP and RP are made to flow either co- or counter-currently to each other. Variables, which could affect the removal of NaCl, were the volume ratio of DP to RP, type and quantity of sequestering agent (SA), presence of mobile carrier (MC), type of LM, and flow rate of DP and RP. The results showed that the higher the flow rate of DP and RP, the higher the mass transfer of NaCl. Quantity and type of SA and type of LM were prime important factors. Remarkably, the time required for transfer of NaCl from DP to RP was reduced from several hours in the case of stagnant SLM to several minutes in the present work. The mass transfer of NaCl was analysed based on kinetic laws of two consecutive irreversible first-order reactions. The values achieved establish the process is diffusion controlled, and the membrane entrance rate constants increase directly with initial concentration (Ci) and inversely with quantity of SA.