ABSTRACT
There have been a large number of literature reports on separation of metal ions using liquid membrane techniques out of which a major chunk involves uranium separation. This chapter deals with liquid membrane separation of uranium from a variety of feed solutions. Liquid membranes can be simplistically described as non-aqueous barriers between two aqueous phases, the feed and the receiver, and allow selective permeation of the desired solutes into the receiver phase leaving the undesired substances in the feed phase. Usually, organic solvents containing a specific carrier extractant molecule act as the membrane phase. The separation efficiency in a liquid membrane process is often dependent on the difference in the distribution coefficient of the solutes at the feed and the receiver interfaces and also on diffusivity of their extracted complexes inside the membrane phase. Usually, a neutral donor ligand extracts the metal ion by a solvation mechanism where, a counter anion is needed for charge neutralization of the cation.
