# Cost-Effective and Durable Ceramic Membrane: Fabrication and Performance Optimization

## TL;DR

This paper presents a low-cost ceramic membrane for water purification that is both effective and durable, with high dye removal and optimized cleaning methods.

## Contribution

A novel ceramic membrane fabrication method using low-cost materials and optimization of backwashing cycles for enhanced performance and cost reduction.

## Key findings

- The membrane achieved up to 99% methylene blue removal with an initial flux of 496.8 L m−2 h−1.
- Backwashing with distilled water and drying improved membrane efficiency and dye rejection without chemicals.
- The production cost was estimated at 170 USD/m2, making it an affordable water purification solution.

## Abstract

The main objective of this work is to develop a cost-effective and durable ceramic membrane for water purification. The low-cost ceramic membrane was fabricated using readily available materials, such as clays, aluminum oxide, and calcium carbonate, The membrane was fabricated by uniaxial pressing at different pressures and sintering temperatures, then tested using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and XRD. The porosity of the resulting membrane was 38.7%, and the contact angle was 65° indicating good hydrophilicity for filtration applications. The main composition was 70% clay, 25% CaCO3, and 5% alumina. The removal % for methylene blue was tested at varying concentrations, achieving up to 99% removal, an initial flux of 496.8 L m−2 h−1, and an average pore size of 2 µm. Furthermore, the research explores the effect of backwashing cycles and techniques on the membrane long-term performance. The results indicated that washing the membrane for four cycles to cleanness has achieved an improved efficiency of the membrane and % dye rejection. Back washing was achieved using no chemicals; only distilled water and drying were used. A preliminary costs assessment of the production for affordable membrane resulted in a value of 170 USD/m2. The findings demonstrate that optimizing backwashing cycles is essential for prolonging the membrane lifespan and lowering operation costs.