Permeability Behavior and Wastewater Filtration Performance of Mullite Bonded Porous SiC Ceramic Membrane Prepared Using Coal Fly Ash as Sintering Additive

Abstract

With SiC as starting powder, waste fly ash as sintering additive and metal oxide as catalyst, mullite bonded SiC ceramic membrane was prepared at 1000°C using the conventional solid-state reaction method. Permeability parameters in both air and water flow tests were obtained using laboratory made set-up and the pure water permeability was measured at variable transmembrane pressures. The membrane exhibited excellent pure water flux of 5261 L.m⁻².h⁻¹.bar⁻¹ with open porosity of 44.7% and mean pore size of 3.7 μm. With this membrane a high oil removal efficiency of 91% was achieved from the kitchen wastewater having initial oil concentration of 1657 mg.L⁻¹. The method developed here is technologically benign and addressed prevention of environmental pollution by utilizing hazardous waste material for fabrication of porous SiC ceramic membrane at a reduced cost with good mechanical, permeability characteristics and wastewater filtration efficiency. Hence, the proposed method for SiC membranes has good sustainability and is scalable for oily wastewater treatment.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Keywords:

• Microfiltration membrane
• Microstructure
• Air permeability
• Wastewater treatment