Recovery of bio-butanol from aqueous solution with ZIF-8 modified graphene oxide composite membrane

Recovery of butanol is a potential biofuel production process, which can be achieved through membrane separation technology. In this study, Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 (ZIF-8) modified graphene oxide (ZGO) with polyether block amide (PEBA) was deposited on ceramic tubular substrate to prepare composite membrane for bio-butanol recovery. ZGO laminates can be used to form transport channels for butanol molecules to enhance the permeance. The affinity of laminate to butanol was improved because of the hydrophobic ZIF-8 particles. Therefore, the separation performance of ZGO/PEBA membrane was enhanced. The microstructure and chemical property of the ZGO/PEBA membranes were characterized. Different preparation and operation conditions were also investigated to optimize the separation performance. Moreover, ZGO/PEBA composite membranes were evaluated in model acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) solution, which also exhibited high butanol recovery performance. Therefore, this facile strategy may provide a potential application in the commercialized ABE fermentation process.