SOLUBILIZATION IN MICELLAR SYSTEMS - ANALYTICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL APPLICATIONS

Surfactant-based separation techniques largely exploit the solubilizat ion power of micelles and other amphiphilic aggregates towards a great variety of hydrophilic and hydrophobic solutes. Micellar extraction, based on the cloud-point phenomenon, and micellar ultrafiltration have been successfully applied for preconcentration and removal of organic and inorganic analytes of environmental concern from aqueous media. I n particular, the recent development of chelating surfactant aggregate s allows to perform very selective demetallation treatments. The facto rs which control the separation efficiencies of these methods are exam ined and discussed.