A comparative analysis of low-cost ceramic membrane preparation for effective fluoride removal using hybrid technique

Uniaxial and paste methods are widely used for the preparation of ceramic membranes. However, there is no specific guideline for considering a particular method to obtain the desired membrane properties. This paper elaborates a comparative performance analysis of ceramic membranes prepared by uniaxial and paste methods. Effects of sintering temperature on different membrane structural properties such as pore size distribution, average pore size, surface pore density and porosity were investigated in detail to characterize membranes prepared by both methods. It was seen that the mean pore size of the membranes prepared by paste method decreased from around 5.2 mu m to 1.6 mu m when sintering temperature was increased from 750 degrees C to 950 degrees C. The porosity and pore density were also decreased from 85 to 55 and 140 to 100, respectively for the said temperature change. Considering the raw material cost, the material cost of the membranes prepared by paste and uniaxial cold pressing methods were calculated at around 110 US $ m(-2) and 135 US $ m(-2), respectively. Prepared membranes were used in a hybrid technique (electrocoagulation followed by microfiltration) for the removal of fluoride from aqueous medium. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.