Sustainable Production of Affordable Ceramic Membranes from Readily Available Raw Materials

This research work reviewed the potential of raw materials such as various clays and industrial ash for the fabrication of affordable ceramic membranes. These materials were used for preparation of microporous supports for microfiltration and ultrafiltration membranes. Compared to conventional ceramic membranes, these readily available natural or waste materials can be obtained at no cost or low cost. Furthermore, sintering can be achieved at lower temperature, thereby reducing the energy consumption by over 30%. Overall, the use of alternative raw materials for ceramic membrane manufacturing is promising in terms of raw materials cost, energy consumption for sintering and contribution to a circular economy.