Sorption of Organic Electrolytes and Surfactants from Natural Waters by Heterogeneous Membranes

Abstract

The widespread use of surfactants increasingly requires the development and application of reliable methods for the demineralization of wastewaters, preventing environmental pollution. One of the most reliable and effective methods of demineralization of wastewaters is the electrodialysis method. Studying the behavior of large organic ions in the membrane is important for modeling cell membranes and purification of medicinal and biological preparations. The sorption characteristics of the MA-40 and MK-40 ion-exchange membranes in solutions of simple and organic electrolytes, and in a solution of the surfactant were investigated. It was found that the sorption of organic ions by membranes is mainly of an ion-exchange nature. The moisture content and elasticity of the membranes decreases in solutions of organic electrolytes, during the sorption of which the membrane becomes brittle. A study showed that in the solutions of organic electrolytes, the MA-40 membrane retains high electrochemical activity, while the MK-40 in a solution of the surfactant completely loses it. From the data obtained in this work, it is shown that organic ions do not present a hazard when water is desalted by electrodialysis, whereas sorption of surfactant ions leads to membrane poisoning.