Abstract
The continuous permeation of metal ions in a countercurrent column was simulated in order to develop a continuous separation process with the liquid surfactant membrane technique. In the simulation, an axial dispersion model was applied for a continuous phase. For the permeation of metal ion in a dispersed phase, an approximate model was adopted in which the external diffusion around the dispersed phase, the diffusion through a peripheral thin oil layer in the dispersed phase and the extraction reaction at the interface between the continuous and dispersed phases were taken into account. The observed concentration distributions of metal ions in the column reported by Marr et al. were satisfactorily simulated by the models applied and by use of the conventional relations for liquid-liquid extraction.
