FRESENIUS ENVIRONMENTAL BULLETIN, cilt.26, sa.12, ss.7128-7136, 2017 (SCI-Expanded)
Micellar enhanced ultrafiltration (MEUF) is a powerful treatment for removing metal ions or dissolved organics from wastewater. In this study, MEUF was used to remove lead (Pb2+) ions efficiently from wastewater. The different parameters, such as solution pH, operating pressure, type and concentration of surfactant influencing the ultrafiltration process were examined. Three different surfactants were used in the analysis: sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), and Triton-X-100 (TX-100). These preliminary experimental results showed that SDS allows treament of high fluxes of solutions even by using low surfactant concentrations. The optimum pH of the feed solution has been determined by MEUF applying different pH values and a rejection factor (R) for Pb2+ ions about 100% could be attained at pH's 6 and 7. SDS has been found to be effective in the Pb2+ ions separation at pH 6 though the formation of hydroxides at pH value higher than 5, and this demonstrates that Pb2+ ions can be almost completely removed from aqueous media at pH 6 in the presence of SDS at quite low concentrations. A waste stream sample from a battery plant is to MEUF process in the optimum conditions. Thus, Pb2+ ions in a waste stream can be removed by MEUF effectively.