Characterization of ceramic pieces shaped from clay intended for the development of filtration membranes

Abstract

This research work is focused in study of the dilation/retreat properties of ceramic membranes and its characterization. The clay used in this work is collected in the region of Midelt in Morocco. This raw material has been characterized by XRD, FTIR, TGA/DTA and X-ray fluorescence. These analyzes show that this clay consists essentially of Quartz and Kaolinite. Then, the clay pastes containing different proportions of the organic additive are aged and used to develop rods and bricks of known geometric dimensions. However, the pastilles were developed by dry process. After drying in the open air with a different percentage of the organic matter (0–15%), the parts are treated at different temperatures (700, 800, 900, 1000 and 1050 °C) according to a suitable heating program, taking into account the initial mineralogical composition and the TGA/DTA thermograms of the samples. The dilation/retreat properties of the processed samples are discussed according to the variation of predetermined parameters such as weight loss, length, height and diameter. The evolution of the porosity, the mechanical and chemical resistance of the samples is determined. It has been found that the organic additive increases the porosity of the parts prepared by its degradation by the heat treatment and the results obtained show that the prepared materials have a high mechanical strength and chemical resistance and they have improved porosity. Indeed, the clay studied will be used to develop tubular membranes intended for the tangential filtration of wastewater, which will be the subject of the second part of this study.