Ionic liquid as a medium to remove iron and other metal ions: a case study of the North Kelantan Aquifer, Malaysia

An alternative iron removal treatment method using liquid-liquid extraction with the room-temperature ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, as a solvent medium was studied. The chelating agent 1,10-phenanthroline was used as the extractant. The extraction of Fe(III) and Fe(II) was influenced significantly by the pH of the aqueous phase. The successful removal of iron was achieved; more than 95 % of the initial iron concentration was removed from the groundwater samples. However, detailed research is needed before the ionic liquid method can replace the conventional groundwater treatment protocol because the recovery rate was very low upon reuse (approximately 25–60 %). This low recovery was due to the ion exchange process; the appearance of anions from ionic liquids was also detected in groundwater samples.