Process for removing the salt of a weak acid and a weak base from solution

摘要

The salt of a weak acid and a weak base is removed from a solution by contacting said solution with an emulsion. Said emulsion comprises an exterior phase which is characterized as immiscible with said solution and permeable to the weak acid and/or weak base in their un- ionized forms. One of the species which can permeate through said exterior phase reacts with a reactant present in the interior phase of the emulsion which converts said permeating species to a non-permeable form, i.e., by neutralization, thus providing a continuing driving force for the permeation of said permeating species. The other nonreacting or nonpermeating species is stripped from solution by passing an inert gas through said solution. Stripping and neutralization in the interior phase of the emulsion are carried out simultaneously. By selection of the reactant present in the interior phase of the emulsion, the process of the instant invention may be designed to remove either the weak acid or the weak base in the interior phase of the emulsion. In a preferred embodiment, ammonium sulfide, dissolved in an aqueous solution, is removed from said aqueous solution by permeating ammonia through the exterior phase of an emulsion and neutralizing said ammonia in the interior phase wth an acidic reactant. Simultaneously, hydrogen sulfide is removed by steam stripping or air blowing of the aqueous solution.