Hollow-Fiber Membrane Contactors; Promising Equipments for the Solvent Extraction of Copper

Solvent extraction of copper by means of hollow-fiber membrane contactors was investigated in this study. Extraction of copper is conventionally carried out using mixer-settlers. These contactors have some disadvantages such as consumption of high energy, dispersion of two phases and high operating costs. Membrane contactors can obviate the need for conventional contactors. The most favorable module used as membrane contactor is hollow-fiber module. These modules provide high surface area per contact volume. A known interface can be established between aqueous and organic phases for the purpose of mass transfer and extraction. Equilibrium is established at the aqueous-organic interface and depends on the hydrophobicity or hydrophilicity of the membrane. Investigations on copper extraction revealed that these contactors can be used as a new device for the extraction of copper. Some authors have studied the extraction of Cu2+ with a kerosene solution of di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) using hollow-fiber membrane contactors. The provided simulations have been conducted by computational fluid dynamics of mass and momentum transfer in all subdomains of the membrane contactor. The results demonstrate the capability of membrane contactors as efficient devices in the extraction of copper which can provide complete copper recovery.

Keywords:

Copper , Membrane Contactor , Solvent Extraction , Mixer Settler , Simulation