Effect of solvent immobilization on membrane separation of ibuprofen metabolite: A green and organic solvent analysis

• Published in: Separation and purification technology 2013-08, Vol.115, p.57-65
• Main Authors: Williams, Nicia S., Gomaa, Hassan G., Ray, Madhumita B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 4-Isobutylacetophenone; canola oil; Extraction-stripping; Hollow fiber membrane contactor; ibuprofen; Immobilized solvent; Impregnated solvent; mass transfer; metabolites; Micropollutant; octanol; sodium hydroxide; solvents
• ISSN: 1383-5866; 1873-3794
• DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2013.04.046

•Immobilized solvents in membranes were used to remove ibuprofen metabolite.•Both traditional and green solvents were used in flat and hollow fiber membranes.•Process intensification occurs by concurrent membrane separation and regeneration.•About 70mL of canola oil removed an average of 80% drug from 40L of water.•Existing correlations for hollow fiber can be used for immobilized solvent. The removal of pharmaceutical micropollutant 4-isobutylacetophenone (4-IBAP) from water using immobilized solvent was investigated. In the first part, extraction performance of flat membrane sheets with two immobilized solvents, a green solvent (canola oil) and octanol, was characterized in batch operation. Sodium hydroxide (≈0.1M) solution was used to regenerate the saturated sheets with 4-IBAP. Experiments were conducted with varying aqueous feed pH, initial aqueous concentration of 4-IBAP, and the initial concentration of sodium hydroxide. While octanol had a faster initial extraction rate Kov=1.83×10−7m/s of 4-IBAP compared to canola oil, the flat sheet impregnated with canola oil exhibited better renewal capacity rinsing with NaOH stripping solution with mass transfer coefficient of 1.33×10−7m/s in repeated experiments. In the second part, continuous extraction of 4-IBAP in the immobilized solvent and simultaneous regeneration of the solvent were carried out in a hollow fiber membrane contactor. Canola oil was impregnated into the pores of the membrane to extract 4-IBAP from the aqueous phase passing through the shell side of the fiber with simultaneous regeneration of the immobilized solvent using a 0.1MNaOH stripping solution passing through the lumen of the fibers. Using this continuous membrane process with a green solvent, about 70–100mL of canola oil removed an average of 80% of 4-IBAP from 40L of water.