Assistant Professor Khaled Mohsen Abdul Al-Tadisi from the Department of Chemical Engineering has received a letter of appreciation from the esteemed President of the University of Baghdad. This recognition is in acknowledgment of his exceptional efforts and the publication of his research titled:
**Integration of deep eutectic solvent and activated carbon in emulsion liquid membrane system for soap removal from crude biodiesel**
Published in the scientific journal “Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects,” this research holds an impressive impact factor of 7.6 within Scopus containers.
The study explores a novel technique, the (DES-based ELM/AC) method, which involves the use of a deep eutectic solvent (DES)-based emulsion liquid membrane (ELM) in combination with activated carbon (AC) for soap removal from crude biodiesel (BD). The DES serves as a stripping phase in the DES-ELMs, while AC is introduced into the membrane phase due to its interaction with the potassium species in soap molecules, utilizing active sites on the AC surface.
Various parameters affecting soap extraction efficiency were investigated, including DES molar ratio, DES: BD ratio, surfactant concentration, mixing speed, duration of the process, and AC dosage. The results demonstrated that the DES-based ELM/AC technique exhibited superior soap removal efficiency at 97.61%, surpassing adsorption and DES-based ELM methods. The highest removal efficiency reached 99.75%, equivalent to 1.87 ppm soap content in the BD, under specific conditions.
The soap transport followed the first-order kinetic model, with a rate constant of 0.627 min⁻¹. This innovative method presents a viable alternative to conventional water-based purification processes. It enables the effective purification of crude BD without the excessive use of water or washing agents compared to traditional methods, offering a more sustainable solution for biodiesel purification.
