Pervaporation of toluene and iso‐octane through poly(vinyl alcohol)/graphene oxide nanoplate mixed matrix membranes: Comparison of crosslinked and noncrosslinked membranes

Abstract

Removal of aromatic compounds from fuel is an essential requirement in new environmental policies. In the present study, poly(vinyl alcohol)/graphene oxide (GO) mixed matrix membranes were prepared and applied to the separation of toluene from iso‐octane by pervaporation, considering the similarity and interaction between graphene and aromatics. The effects of crosslinking and GO content on separation efficiency have been investigated in detail. Owing to the high affinity of GO with toluene through s and π bonds, the selectivity of the membranes was increased by incorporating a low amount of GO. The results also indicated that noncrosslinked membranes have higher selectivity and permeation flux due to higher crystallinity and also have lower mechanical properties. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 45853.

High-/Low-Molecular-Weight PDMS Photo-Copolymerized Membranes for Ethanol Recovery

“…Furthermore, the reported PV performance of the polymeric membranes is summarized and listed in Figure c and Table . The thickness-normalized flux ( J ′, μm g m –2 h –1 ) was utilized to assess the membrane performance to eliminate the effect of membrane thickness on total flux − J ′ = italicJl where l is the thickness of the selectivity layer.…”

The potential of polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIMs) and PIM/graphene composites for pervaporation membranes

“…Wang et al [178] created "pore-filling" composite membranes with a separation layer of GO in poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA), both on the surface and in the pores of an asymmetric PAN support, and used them for the separation of a toluene/ heptane mixture, the addition of GO improving the separation of the aromatic component. Khazaei et al [179,180] studied GO/PVA mixed matrix membranes for the separation of toluene from its mixtures with iso-octane. Maya et al [181] incorporated reduced graphene oxide (rGO) into polychloroprene membranes for the pervaporation of chloroform/acetone azeotropic liquid mixtures.…”

Investigation of new modification strategies for PVA membranes to improve their dehydration properties by pervaporation

“…The feed entered the cell (1). After separation by the membrane (2), the permeate (4) was condensed in a trap (3) cooled with liquid nitrogen (5). A downstream pressure of <10 −1 kPa was achieved by a vacuum pump (7) and controlled by a pressure controller (6).…”

“…A downstream pressure of <10 −1 kPa was achieved by a vacuum pump (7) and controlled by a pressure controller (6). The permeate (4) was collected in a liquid nitrogen trap (5). The composition of permeate and feed was analyzed by gas chromatography using a SHIMADZU GC-2010 chromatograph.…”

“…These reasons account for why PVA has already been used to prepare several series of commercial membranes [3]. Improving the properties of PVA membranes nevertheless remains a challenging task [4][5][6][7]. In this work, two distinct strategies to this end were investigated, i.e., bulk and surface modifications.…”