Arsenic(V) removal with polymer inclusion membranes from sulfuric acid media using DBBP as carrier.

Polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) based on cellulose triacetate (CTA) and dibutyl butyl phosphonate (DBBP) were tested for arsenic(V) separation from H2SO4 for its recovery from copper electrolytes. Solvent extraction experiments allowed the determination of the As(V)-DBBP and H2SO4-DBBP complexes formed in the organic phase. Application of a transient model to membrane transport experiments in solutions containing only arsenic or H2SO4 indicated that it occurred under a kinetically controlled regime by formation of H3AsO4[DBBP]2 and H2SO4[DBBP] species, respectively.