KINETIC-STUDIES ON THE EXTRACTION OF CITRIC-ACID FROM AQUEOUS-SOLUTIONS WITH TRI-N-OCTYLAMINE

In this paper, the rates of the extraction of citric acid from aqueous solutions with tri-n-octylamine dissolved in xylene were measured usi ng a stirred membrane-based cell in the 298 similar to 328 K temperara ture range. It was found that, under the conditions studied, both forw ard extraction and back-extraction processes were mainly controlled by chemical reactions occurring at the interface on the organic side, Th e intrinsic rate constants for the formation and dissociation of the a cid complexes were determined and a possible reaction mechanism was pr oposed. The effect of temperature on the reaction kinetics was also in vestigated and the activation energies were thus obtained.