Lactic Acid Permeation through Deep Eutectic Solvents-Based Polymer Inclusion Membranes.

Area of Science:

• Chemical Engineering
• Separation Science
• Materials Science

Background:

• Lactic acid is a vital compound used across food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries.
• Current separation techniques for lactic acid from fermentation cultures can be complex and inefficient.
• A need exists for simpler, more effective methods for lactic acid recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the use of polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) incorporating deep eutectic solvents (DESs) for lactic acid separation.
• To evaluate the efficacy of hydrophilic DESs, specifically urea-choline chloride and glucose-choline chloride, as carriers in PIMs for lactic acid permeation.
• To analyze the transport mechanism governing lactic acid permeation through the developed PIMs.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)-based PIMs containing hydrophilic DESs.
• Permeation experiments to assess lactic acid transport through the PIMs.
• Analysis of permeation data using the solution-diffusion model to elucidate the transport mechanism.

Main Results:

• Successful permeation of lactic acid through PIMs containing urea-choline chloride and glucose-choline chloride was achieved.
• The permeation process followed a facilitated transport mechanism consistent with the solution-diffusion model.
• PIMs demonstrated advantages such as simpler preparation of thinner membranes and higher permeation rates compared to supported liquid membranes.

Conclusions:

• The developed PVC-based PIMs with environmentally benign hydrophilic DESs provide an effective and promising method for industrial-scale lactic acid separation.
• The facilitated transport mechanism offers an efficient pathway for lactic acid recovery.
• This approach represents a significant advancement over existing separation technologies for lactic acid.