Optimization Extraction of Terbium by Supported Liquid Membrane Using D2EHPA and TOPO

The extraction of Terbium (III)from aqueous nitrate solutions with a supported liquid membrane was investigated using a mixture of di-(2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) and tri-octyl phosphine oxide (TOPO) with a molar ratio 1/0.4. The Hydrophobic Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) membrane was used as solid support. The sorption process followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. The quantity of 8.29 mg/g was extracted using a Supported Liquid Membrane (SLM). The influence of the ionic strength, stirring rate, extraction time, and the interactions between them on the extraction yield of Terbium (III) ions was investigated using the factorial designs. The analysis of variance was used to show the relative importance of the extraction process parameters.