Efficacy of extraction of U(VI) by liquid emulsion membrane (LEM) using TOPO, D2EHPA and TOA

The response surface methodology is used to obtain optimal rate and extent of extraction of low concentration U(VI) (≤100 mg/L) by liquid emulsion membrane technique. Three different ligands viz. Tri- n -octyl phosphine oxide (TOPO), Tri- n -octyl amine (TOA) and Di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (D2EHPA), are used. 2 3 factorial design is applied to generate second order regression equation for studying the effect of concentration of ligand, surfactant and feed acidity. The regression model is in good agreement with the experimental data for all ligands. The rate of extraction of U(VI) by LEM is found to be in the order TOA > TOPO > D2EHPA.