Foam fractionation for the separation of SDBS from its aqueous solution: Process optimization and property test

Foam fractionation is an adsorption bubble separation technique allowing recovery and immediate reuse of surfactants. This work was aimed at investigating the variations in recovery efficiency and physicochemical property of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) through multiple foam fractionation operation. First, a suitable SDBS concentration of 0.05 g/L was determined for preparing feeding solution. Subsequently, effects of volumetric air flow rate, height ratio of liquid phase and foam phase, and pore diameter of gas distributor on recovery efficiency of SDBS were investigated, respectively. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the operating conditions of foam fractionation for separating SDBS. Under the conditions of volumetric air flow rate 80 mL/min, height ratio of liquid phase and foam phase 1:2, and pore diameter of gas distributor 0.180 mm, enrichment ratio and recovery percentage of SDBS were 134.83 ± 6.74 and 63.43 ± 3.17%, respectively. In repetitive separation experiments, the maximum separation number of recovered SDBS by foam fractionation was 3. Experimental results of surface activity and foam properties of recovered SDBS solution suggested that the interfacial adsorption and desorption processes had induced the structural transition and irreversible aggregation of SDBS molecules after multiple foam fractionation operation.