Investigation of the salting-out of polyethylene glycol-2000 in aqueous biphasic systems

We have been investigating the potential for the use of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based aqueous biphasic systems in the separation of metal ions in such diverse fields as nuclear medicine, nuclear waste, and hydrometallurgy. PEG-based ABS may provide cheaper, cleaner, safer separation technologies. In order to realize this potential, we need to expand the number of known phase-forming salts and investigate their interactions with PEG. Phase diagrams are an invaluable tool for this purpose. In this presentation, systematic investigation of the salting-out ability of several phase-forming salts will be presented and their behavior discussed