Fabrication and Physicochemical Study of B2SA-Grafted Poly(vinyl Alcohol)–Graphene Hybrid Membranes for Dehydration of Bioethanol by Pervaporation

Tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS)-crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) solution was prepared and treated with benzaldehyde 2 sulphonic sodium salt acid (B2SA) for sulfonation. Different contents of graphene were incorporated into B2SA-grafted PVA–TEOS hybrid membrane to improve the membrane stability, mechanical strength, and overall pervaporation performance of the membranes. Membranes were fabricated using the casting technique. Developed membranes were then analyzed for their physicochemical changes by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscope (SEM), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), contact angle analysis (CA), and mechanical strength. The lower d-spacing value observed in WAXD was evidence for the decreased inter-chain distance between the polymer chains. DSC exhibited the enhanced thermal stability of the developed membranes compared to the plane PVA membrane with enhancement in T(g) value (106 °C), which was well above the pervaporation experimental temperature. Incorporation of graphene induced higher mechanical strength to the fabricated membranes. Further, the membranes were tested for the pervaporation separation of bioethanol. All the membranes were stable throughout the pervaporation studies, with M-2 G showing the total permeation flux of 11.66 × 10(−2) kg/(m(2) h) at 30 °C.