Hybrid polymer inclusion membrane as anion exchange membrane for recovering Pd2+ ions in electrogenerative process

A novel non-plasticized nano-porous hybrid inorganic-organic polymer inclusion membrane (PIM) was synthesized, characterized, and evaluated as an anion exchange membrane for application in electrogenerative processes to recover Pd2+ ions. Ionic liquids 1-ethyl-3-me-thylimidazolium chloride (EMIM-Cl) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (BMIM-Cl) were used as the carrier molecules in the polymeric network of PIM to enhance anion exchange process. This hybrid anion exchange membrane also consists of a polymeric matrix of non-plasticized cellulose triacetate modified by incorporating an inorganic material (silane) prepared by the sol-gel route. Different parameters affecting the ion transport performance efficiency, i.e., the composition of the membrane, type of ionic liquid (carrier molecule) and ion-exchange capacity, were investigated and optimized. In the electrogenerative process, the results revealed that the prepared PIM yields better recovery results for recovering Pd2+ ions from its chloride solution compared to the commercial anion exchange membrane Neosepta (R) AM-01, with a full recovery of 100 mg/L Pd2+ ions in 30 min. This preliminary study shows that the prepared low-cost hybrid anion exchange membrane PIM can act as an inexpensive material suitable for the rapid and efficient recovery of Pd2+ ions from an aqueous solution.