Study of the kinetics of the transport of Cu(II), Cd(II) and Ni(II) ions through a liquid membrane.

The coupled transport of Cu(II), Cd(II) and Ni(II) ions through a bulk liquid membrane (BLM) containing pyridine-2-acetaldehyde benzoylhydrazone (2-APBH) as carrier dissolved in toluene has been studied. Once the optimal conditions of extraction of each metal were established, a comparative study of the transport kinetics for these metals was performed by means of a kinetic model involving two consecutive irreversible first-order reactions. The kinetic parameters (apparent rate constants of the metal extraction and re-extraction reactions (k(1), k(2)), the maximum reduced concentration of the metal in the liquid membrane (R(o)max), the time of the maximum value of R(o)(t(max)) and the maximum entry and exit fluxes of the metal through the liquid membrane (J(f)max and J(s)max) of the extraction and stripping reactions were evaluated and results showed good agreement between experimental data and theoretical predictions. Complete transport through the membrane took place according to the following order: Cd(II)>Cu(II)>Ni(II), with similar kinetic parameters obtained for Cu(II) and Cd(III). The transport behaviour of Ni(II) was different to that of Cu(II) and Cd(III), probably due to the different stoichiometry of the nickel complex compared to those of the other metal ions and the different chemical conditions required for its formation. The influence of the sample salinity on the transport kinetics was studied. k(1) values decreased slightly when the feed solution salinity was increased for Cu(II) and Ni(II), but not for Cd(II). Values of k(2) were practically unaffected. The proposed BLM was applied to the preconcentration and separation of metal ions (prior to their determination) in water samples with different saline matrices (CRM, river water and seawater), and good agreement with the certified values was obtained.