Extraction of methylene blue from aqueous solution by pickering emulsion liquid membrane using cellulose as eco-friendly emulsifier: optimization and modeling studies

Abstract

Abstract In the present investigation cellulose, a naturally occurring biopolymer, was used as an eco-friendly emulsifier for the removal of methylene blue (MB) from simulated wastewater using emulsion liquid membrane. Coconut oil, a green diluent, was used as an organic phase in preparing a pickering emulsion liquid membrane (PELM) the extraction of dye. The PELM was prepared by loading with aliquat 336 as extractant, potassium hydroxide (KOH) as internal phase, and edible coconut oil as the diluent. The effect of the process parameters such as dye concentration, internal phase concentration, emulsifier concentration, organic phase to aqueous phase (O/A) ratio, stirring speed (RPM) were studied using Box-Behnken design and response surface method. The results showed that more than 92% of MB were successfully extracted around 120 min. Hence, it could be concluded that cellulose can be used as a promising emulsifying agent in the PELM preparation for the removal of MB from wastewater.