No CrossRef data available.
Article contents
Low-cost membrane supports for wastewater treatment made from local clay and calcite mixtures
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 August 2025
Abstract
Wastewater treatment is critically important and ceramic-membrane engineering is one of the most effective technologies for water filtration and purification. However, the materials used in the preparation of ceramic membranes are usually expensive, e.g. ZrO and Al2O3 membranes, reverse osmosis materials such as carbon-based thin-film nanocomposite TFNC ‘carbon nanotube, graphene-oxide’. Delicate, thin membranes employed for small-scale filtration usually require optimal supports for effective operation. The purpose of the present research, therefore, was to find a less expensive material for membrane supports while, at the same time, enhancing performance. Membrane supports were thus prepared from local clay materials and (25 wt.%) CaCO3 using an extrusion technique, which enabled the production of tubular supports. The CaCO3 is responsible for creating the pores in the samples during heat treatment due to the evolution of CO2 gas. Some characteristics of the supports were evaluated using X-ray diffraction, which identified quartz, gehlenite, sillimanite, H-bearing aluminous stishovite, and wollastonite. The support treated at 1000°C displayed significant mechanical properties (flexural strength, 11.58 MPa, measured using three-point bending tests) compared with supports treated at other temperatures. Moreover, the support sintered at 1000°C had an estimated permeability factor of 1052 L/h m2.bar after performing both time- and pressure-dependent flux measurements. Such properties make it possible to use these supports as multi-scale filtration membranes for purification and filtration applications after performing a standard filtration application on dirty water, resulting in a significant difference in terms of turbidity and waste content.
Information
- Type
- Original Paper
- Information
- Copyright
- © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Clay Minerals Society
References
Abo-Almaged, H.H., Ngida, R.E.A., Ajiba, N.A., Sadek, H.E.H., & Khattab, R.M. (2024). Utilization of industrial waste materials for the preparation of wollastonite by temperature-induced forming technique. Scientific Reports, 14, 21752. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-71243-3CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boudaira, B., Harabia, A., Bouzerara, F., & Condom, S. (2009). Preparation and characterization of microfiltration membranes and their supports using kaolin (DD2) and CaCO3. Desalination and Water Treatment, 9, 142–148. https://doi.org/10.5004/dwt.2009.764CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boulkrinat, A., Bouzerara, F., Harabi, A., Harrouche, K., Stelitano, S., Russo, F., Galiano, F., & Figoli, A. (2020). Synthesis and characterization of ultrafiltration ceramic membranes used in the separation of macromolecular proteins. Journal of the European Ceramic Society, 40, 5967–5973. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2020.06.060CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bouzerara, F., Harabi, A., Achour, S., & Larbot, A. (2006). Porous ceramic supports for membranes prepared from kaolin and doloma mixtures. Journal of the European Ceramic Society, 26, 1663–1671.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cali, J.P. (1975). The role of standard reference materials in measurement systems. US Department of Commerce, National Bureau of Standards.10.6028/NBS.MONO.148CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Degen, T., Sadki, M., Bron, E., König, U., & Nénert, G. (2014) The HighScore suite. Powder Diffraction, 29, S13–S18. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0885715614000840CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Foorginezhad, S., Zerafat, M.M., Mohammadi, Y., & Asadnia, M. (2022). Fabrication of tubular ceramic membranes as low-cost adsorbent using natural clay for heavy metals removal. Cleaner Engineering and Technology, 10, 100550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clet.2022.100550CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gaucher, C., Jaouen, P., Comiti, J., & Legentilhomme, P. (2002). Determination of cake thickness and porosity during cross-flow ultrafiltration on a plane ceramic membrane surface using an electrochemical method. Journal of Membrane Science, 210, 245–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0376-7388(02)00355-1CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ghouil, B., Harabi, A., Bouzerara, F., Boudaira, B., Guechi, A., Demir, M.M., & Figoli, A. (2015). Development and characterization of tubular composite ceramic membranes using natural alumino-silicates for microfiltration applications. Materials Characterization, 103, 18–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matchar.2015.03.009CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ghouil, B., Harabi, A., Bouzerara, F., & Brihi, N. (2016). Elaboration and characterization of ceramic membrane supports from raw materials used in microfiltration. Desalination and Water Treatment, 57, 5241–5245. https://doi.org/10.1080/19443994.2015.1021098CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goswami, K.P., & Pugazhenthi, G. (2020). Treatment of poultry slaughterhouse wastewater using tubular microfiltration membrane with fly ash as key precursor. Journal of Water Process Engineering, 37, 101361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2020.101361CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goswami, K.P., & Pugazhenthi, G. (2022). Treatment of starch-rich wastewater using fly ash-based low-cost tubular ceramic membrane. Environmental Progress and Sustainable Energy, 41, e13906. https://doi.org/10.1002/ep.13906CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harabi, A., Bouzerara, F., & Condom, S. (2009) Preparation and characterization of tubular membrane supports using centrifugal casting. Desalination and Water Treatment, 6, 222–226. https://doi.org/10.5004/dwt.2009.646CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harabi, A., Harabi, E., Chehlatt, S., Zouai, S., Karboua, N.-E., & Foughali, L. (2016). Effect of B2O3 on mechanical properties of porous natural hydroxyapatite derived from cortical bovine bones sintered at 1,050°C. Desalination and Water Treatment, 57, 5303–5309. https://doi.org/10.1080/19443994.2015.1021997CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harabi, A., Karboua, N., & Achour, S. (2012). Effect of thickness and orientation of alumina fibrous thermal insulation on microwave heating in a modified domestic 2.45 GHz multi-mode cavity. International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology, 9, 124–132. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7402.2011.02632.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harabi, A., Zenikheri, F., Boudaira, B., Bouzerara, F., Guechi, A., & Foughali, L. (2014). A new and economic approach to fabricate resistant porous membrane supports using kaolin and CaCO3. Journal of the European Ceramic Society, 34, 1329–1340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2013.11.007CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hellenbrandt, M. (2004). The Inorganic Crystal Structure Database (ICSD) – present and future. Crystallography Reviews, 10, 17–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/08893110410001664882CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hubadillah, S.K., Othman, M.H.D., Matsuura, T., Ismail, A.F., Rahman, M.A., Harun, Z., Jaafar, J., & Nomura, M. (2018). Fabrications and applications of low cost ceramic membrane from kaolin: a comprehensive review. Ceramics International, 44, 4538–4560. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2017.12.215CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Khemakhem, S., Amar, R.B., Hassen, R.B., Larbot, A., Medhioub, M., Salah, A.B., & Cot, L. (2004). New ceramic membranes for tangential waste-water filtration. Desalination, 167, 19–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2004.06.108CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, M., Wu, Z., & Li, K. (2015) Advances in ceramic membranes for water treatment. In Advances in Membrane Technologies for Water Treatment, pp. 43–82. Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-1-78242-121-4.00002-2CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Majouli, A., Younssi, S.A., Tahiri, S., Albizane, A., Loukili, H., & Belhaj, M. (2011). Characterization of flat membrane support elaborated from local Moroccan Perlite. Desalination, 277, 61–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2011.04.003CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Malik, N., Bulasara, V.K., & Basu, S. (2020). Preparation of novel porous ceramic microfiltration membranes from fly ash, kaolin and dolomite mixtures. Ceramics International, 46, 6889–6898. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2019.11.184CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Masmoudi, S., Amar, R.B., Larbot, A., El Feki, H., Salah, A.B., & Cot, L. (2005). Elaboration of inorganic microfiltration membranes with hydroxyapatite applied to the treatment of wastewater from sea product industry. Journal of Membrane Science, 247, 1–9.10.1016/j.memsci.2004.03.047CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Messaoudi, M., Douma, M., Tijani, N., & Messaoudi, L. (2021). Study of the permeability of tubular mineral membranes: application to wastewater treatment. Heliyon, 7, e06837. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06837CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Monash, P., & Pugazhenthi, G. (2011). Development of ceramic supports derived from low-cost raw materials for membrane applications and its optimization based on sintering temperature: development of ceramic supports for membrane applications. International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology, 8, 227–238. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7402.2009.02443.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mouafon, M., Lecomte-Nana, G.L., Tessier-Doyen, N., Njoya, A., Njoya, D., & Njopwouo, D., (2021). Processing and characterization of low-thermal conductivity, clay-based, ceramic membranes for filtering drinking water. Clays and Clay Minerals, 69, 339–353. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42860-021-00131-yCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nandi, B.K., Uppaluri, R., & Purkait, M.K. (2009). Treatment of oily waste water using low-cost ceramic membrane: flux decline mechanism and economic feasibility. Separation Science and Technology, 44, 2840–2869. https://doi.org/10.1080/01496390903136004CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paul, S., Roy, S., & Mitra, S., (2024). Carbon nanotube enhanced selective micro filtration of butanol. Separation and Purification Technology, 330, 125462. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2023.125462CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rakib, S., Sghyar, M., Rafiq, M., Cot, D., Larbot, A., & Cot, L. (2000). Elaboration and characterization of porous ceramics based on granitic sand using an extrusion process. Presented at the Annales de Chimie Science des Materiaux, Elsevier Science, pp. 567–576.Google Scholar
Saja, S., Bouazizi, A., Achiou, B., Ouaddari, H., Karim, A., Ouammou, M., Aaddane, A., Bennazha, J., & Alami Younssi, S. (2020). Fabrication of low-cost ceramic ultrafiltration membrane made from bentonite clay and its application for soluble dyes removal. Journal of the European Ceramic Society, 40, 2453–2462. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2020.01.057CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suresh, K., Pugazhenthi, G., & Uppaluri, R. (2017). Preparation and characterization of hydrothermally engineered TiO2-fly ash composite membrane. Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 11, 266–279. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-017-1608-4CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vinoth Kumar, R., Kumar Ghoshal, A., & Pugazhenthi, G. (2015). Elaboration of novel tubular ceramic membrane from inexpensive raw materials by extrusion method and its performance in microfiltration of synthetic oily wastewater treatment. Journal of Membrane Science, 490, 92–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2015.04.066CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, Z., Zhang, S.Y., & Shen, Q. (2023). Coupled thermo-mechanical phase-field modeling to simulate the crack evolution of defective ceramic materials under flame thermal shock. Applied Sciences, 13, 12633. https://doi.org/10.3390/app132312633.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Xie, X., Yan, M., Wang, C., Li, L., & Shen, H. (1989). Geochenical standard reference samples GSD 9–12, GSS 1–8 and GSR 1–6. Geostandards Newsletter, 13, 83–179. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-908X.1989.tb00469.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zenebe, C.G. (2022). A review on the role of wollastonite biomaterial in bone tissue engineering. BioMed Research International, 2022, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/4996530CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zerhouni, J., Qabaqous, O., Rhazi Filali, F., Naciri Bennani, M., & Tijani, N. (2019). Performance study of the membrane based layered double hydroxides ‘ZnAl-Gh’ in the purification of groundwater. Karbala International Journal of Modern Science, 5.10.33640/2405-609X.1148CrossRefGoogle Scholar