Polymer Inclusion Membrane for Passive Sampling of Zn(II) in Water

Heavy metals, due to their toxicity, are known to cause various environmental and health issues; therefore, their monitoring is essential. Polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) are innovative materials that can be utilized in passive sampling (PS) tools for monitoring heavy metals. Passive sampling is an integrative technique that has been developed over recent years and serves as a promising complementary tool to grab sampling. Its principle is based on the passive diffusion of contaminants through a membrane and their accumulation in a receiving phase. The concentration of pollutants in the studied system can thus be inferred from the amount of pollutant recovered from the binding phase. However, commercially available tools for passive sampling are quite limited. This work reports a preliminary application of a polymer inclusion membrane for potential integration into passive sampling tools. The PIM was prepared using 50% poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) as the base polymer, 40% di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) as the carrier, and 10% dioctyl phthalate (DOP) as the plasticizer. Transport experiments through the PIM were conducted in a homemade permeation cell, using a Zn(II) solution at a concentration of 20 mg L⁻¹ as the donor phase. The acceptor solution was 0.1 M HCl. The results indicated good performance regarding the transport of Zn(II) ions, with over 80% of the analyte being transported across the membrane.