María E. Taboada

Drowning-out crystallisation of sodium sulphate using aqueous two-phase systems.

A novel method to obtain crystals of pure, anhydrous salt, using aqueous two-phase systems was studied. A concentrated salt solution is mixed with polyethylene glycol (PEG), upon which three phases are formed: salt crystals, a PEG-rich liquid and a salt-rich liquid. After removal of the solid salt, a two-phase system is obtained. Both liquid phases are recycled, allowing the design of a continuous process, which could be exploited industrially. The phase diagram of the system water-Na2SO4-PEG 3350 at 28 degrees C was used. Several process alternatives are proposed and their economic potential is discussed. The process steps needed to produce sodium sulphate crystals include mixing, crystallisation, settling and, optionally, evaporation of water. The yield of sodium sulphate increases dramatically if an evaporation step is used.

Liquid–liquid and liquid–liquid–solid equilibrium in Na2CO3–PEG–H2O

The phase diagram was determined for the Na2CO3–PEG–H2O system at 25°C using PEG (poly(ethylene glycol)) with a molecular weight of 4000. Compositions of the liquid–liquid and the liquid–liquid–solid equilibria were determined using calibration curves of density and index of refraction of the solutions, and atomic absorption (AA) and X-ray diffraction analyses were made on the solids. The solid phase in equilibrium with the biphasic region was Na2CO3·H2O. Binodal curves were described using a three-parameter equation. Tie lines were described using the Othmer–Tobias and Bancroft correlation’s. Correlation coefficients for all equations exceeded 0.99. The effects of temperature (25 and 40°C) and the molecular weight of the PEG (2000, 3000, and 4000) on the binodal curve were also studied, and it was observed that the size of the biphasic region increased slightly with an increase in these variables.

Speciation in the Fe(III)-Cl(I)-H2O System at 298.15 K, 313.15 K, and 333.15 K (25 °C, 40 °C, and 60 °C)

This article presents the results on speciation of ferric iron generated by the dissolution of chemical reagent hydromolysite (ferric chloride hexahydrate, FeCl3:6H2O) in water at 298.15 K, 313.15 K, and 333.15 K (25 °C, 40 °C, and 60 °C). Experiments were performed with a thermoregulated system up to the equilibrium point, as manifested by solution pH. Solution samples were analyzed in terms of concentration, pH, and electrical conductivity. Measurements of density and refractive index were obtained at different temperatures and iron concentrations. A decrease of pH was observed with the increase in the amount of dissolved iron, indicating that ferric chloride is a strong electrolyte that reacts readily with water. Experimental results were modeled using the hydrogeochemical code PHREEQC in order to obtain solution speciation. Cations and neutral and anion complexes were simultaneously present in the system at the studied conditions according to model simulations, where dominant species included Cl−, FeCl2+, FeCl2+, FeOHCl20, and H+. A decrease in the concentration of Cl− and Fe3+ ions took place with increasing temperature due to the association of Fe-Cl species. Standard equilibrium constants for the formation of FeOHCl20 obtained in this study were log

Liquid−Liquid Equilibrium of the Poly(ethylene glycol) + Sodium Nitrate + Water System at 298.15 K

K_{f}^{0}

Liquid−Liquid and Solid−Liquid Equilibria of the Poly(ethylene glycol) + Sodium Sulfate + Water System at 298.15 K

Kf0 = −0.8 ± 0.01 at 298.15 K (25 °C), −0.94 ± 0.02 at 313.15 K (40 °C), and −1.03 ± 0.01 at 333.15 K (60 °C).

Liquid–liquid and solid–liquid equilibrium of the 1-propanol + lithium sulfate + water system at 25, 35 and 45 °C

This work represents a comparative uptake study of the toxic elements arsenic, boron, copper, manganese and zinc in monometallic and multimetallic solutions by four green microalgae species (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Chlorella vulgaris, Scenedesmus almeriensis and an indigenous Chlorophyceae spp.), evaluating the effect of pH and contact time. Maximum removal efficiencies for each toxic element were 99.4% for Mn (C. vulgaris, pH 7.0, 3 h), 91.9% for Zn (Chlorophyceae spp., pH 5.5, 3 h), 88% for Cu (Chlorophyceae spp., pH 7.0, 10 min), 40.7% for As (S. almeriensis, pH 9.5, 3 h) and 38.6% for B (S. almeriensis, pH 5.5, 10 min). B removal efficiencies decreased remarkably in multimetallic solutions (down to 0.2% in C. reinhardtii), except for Chlorophyceae spp., the only species isolated from a polluted environment. FTIR spectra shown the highest interactions for As (1150-1300 cm-1) and Cu (3300, 1741, 1535, 1350-1400 cm-1). Results confirm microalgae biomass as a potential biosorbent for toxic elements.