Preparation of Cation Exchange Membrane Using Reduce Graphene Oxide as Additive Made of Battery waste

The increasing global energy demand has led to a continuous increase in battery waste, which raises environmental concerns if not managed properly. This study aimed to utilize battery waste as a graphite source for the synthesis of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and to apply rGO as an additive in the fabrication of polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-based cation exchange membranes (CEMs). Graphite obtained from battery waste was oxidized and reduced using H2SO4, KMnO4, and H2O2 to produce rGO, which was then incorporated into a PVC solution to form a homogeneous membrane matrix. The membrane was cast, immersed in water, and sulfonated with H2SO4 to obtain the final CEM. Characterization showed that the optimum rGO concentration (6% w/v) resulted in the lowest degree of swelling and the highest ion-exchange capacity and conductivity. This study offers a sustainable route for recycling graphite from battery waste while improving the performance of CEMs.