Phosphorylated chitosan membranes for the separation of ethanol-water mixtures by pervaporation

► Chitosan membrane modification by crosslinking with phosphoric acid by varying acid concentration and crosslinking time. ► Modified membrane was characterized using FTIR, X-RD and TGA to confirm the crosslinking. ► Effect of feed water concentration, permeate pressure, membrane thickness and crosslinking time on the separation performance has been investigated. ► Crosslinked membrane potential for breaking the ethanol azeotropic barrier by exhibiting a high selectivity of 213.