Hybrid rotating pertractor for Zn(II) recovery and separation Original Research Article

A hybrid rotating film pertractor, HRP, with discs made of cation-exchange polymers (perfluorosulfonated polymer, sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone), and sulfonated polysulfon) was constructed. The pertractor properties were tested in the recovery and separation of Zn(II) with the use of a liquid membrane composed of di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid, D2EHPA, dissolved in kerosene. It was demonstrated that ionizable discs improve the transport rates, separation, and recovery factors of Zn(II) in comparison with pertractors exploiting the discs made of neutral polymers (polysulfone and cellulose tri-acetate). In the case of feeds composed of 0.01 mol/dm3 solution of Zn(II) and Cu(II) nitrates, Zn(II) recovery was almost 100% and the separation factor αCuZn reached the value of 1300. The maximum value of Zn(II) stripping rate varied from 9.4 × 10− 8 to 1.9 × 10− 5 mol/m2 s in dependence on disc rotation velocity, i.e. for 0–6 rpm, respectively.