Use of aqueous two-phase PEG-salt systems for the removal of anionic surfactant from effluents.
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Date
2017
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Abstract
Linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) are synthetic anionic surfactants that are extensively used in many
industries. As a result, large volumes of effluents containing high levels of these compounds are discharged
into water bodies, causing risks to aquatic flora and fauna. Then, there is a need for environmentally
safe and economically viable technologies for the removal of LAS from aqueous matrices. The
present work evaluates the use of aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) composed of PEG and sulfate salts
for this purpose, considering the effects of tie line length (TLL), molar mass of polymer, and type of
cation-forming salt on the partitioning behavior of LAS. All the LAS partition coefficient (KLAS) values
were greater than unity, and the LAS extraction efficiencies (%ELAS) were higher than 97%. The system
consisting of PEG 1500 þ (NH4)2SO4 þ H2O provided the highest KLAS (1083.34) and %ELAS (99.9%),
indicating that the method provided good extraction of LAS to the top phase. This system was applied
using a real effluent sample in laboratory-scale experiments as well as in bench-scale batch trials. The
results obtained at the laboratory scale showed %ELAS values greater than 98%, while the best KLAS value
obtained in the batch experiments was 8.50 (±1.75) (%ELAS ¼ 78.17%). These values demonstrated the
potential of ATPS for the removal of LAS from industrial effluents.
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Keywords
Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate, Green chemistry, Partition, Polymer-surfactant interaction
Citation
MURARI, G. F. et al. Use of aqueous two-phase PEG-salt systems for the removal of anionic surfactant from effluents. Journal of Environmental Management, v. 198, p. 43-49, ago. 2017. Disponível em: <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479717303948?via%3Dihub>. Acesso em: 15 set. 2017.