Parametric Analysis of Mandelic Acid Separation from Aqueous Solutions by Using Secondary Amine Mixture (Amberlite LA-2) in Various Diluents

Mandelic acid (MA) an α hydroxycarboxylic acid found in bitter almonds. It has gained importance in recent years, especially due to its use in the cosmetic industry. Separation processes of mandelic acid have a critical point in the production stages obtained the product form. In this study, extraction of mandelic acid from aqueous solutions was carried out using five different concentrations of Amberlite LA-2 (LA2) solution. Dimethyl phthalate (DMP), methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK), 2-octanone, 1-octanol, n-pentane, octyl acetate, and toluene were used as diluents in the organic phase. The batch extraction results of mandelic acid were obtained for process design. The data were analyzed with respect to loading factor (Z), distribution coefficient (D), and extraction efficiency (E). In addition, the overall extraction constants, K₁₁, K₁₂, K₁₃, and K₂₃ have been determined for acid–amine complex. The maximum removal of mandelic acid in this study is 92.75% with MIBK and 0.57 mol·kg^–1 initial concentration of Amberlite LA-2.