ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the main theoretical aspects of transport in supported liquid membranes and reviews the possible applications of this technology in the removal and recovery of toxic ions from water. Particular attention will be devoted to the separation and recovery of Arsenic from environmental matrices. Several methods are being used to treat polluted waters regarding the removal of heavy metal ions. The co-produced water is usually contaminated with organic and inorganic compounds, salts, hydrocarbons, radioactive elements, trace heavy and toxic metals/metalloids, and chemical additives used during well drillings. In particular, innovative methods based on the carrier facilitated transport across a liquid membrane show great potential since they do not produce by-products of difficult disposal and they can be operated continuously. Solute permeation from the donor feed to the receiving strip phases across a liquid membrane can be mediated by a mobile extractant, resulting in the so-called facilitated transport, resulting in the so-called non-facilitated transport.
