Abstract
Ceramic membrane filters based on industrial by-products can be considered to be a valorization alternative of phosphate mine tailings, even more so if these ceramic membranes are used in the industrial wastewater treatment due to their good mechanical, chemical, and thermal resistance. The depollution of textile industry rejections with this method has not been studied in detail previously. In this work, ceramic membrane filters have been manufactured from natural clay and phosphate mine tailings (phosphate sludge). Blends of the abovementioned materials with a pore-forming agent (sawdust, up to 20 wt. %) were investigated in the range 900–1100 °C using thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and mercury porosimetry. Ceramic properties were measured as a function of firing temperature and sawdust addition. Filtration tests were carried out on samples with advantageous properties. The results showed that gehlenite together with diopside neoformed from lime decomposed carbonates and breakdown products of clay minerals, while calcium phosphate derived from partial decomposition of fluorapatite. Both quartz and fluorapatite resisted heating. The results of the experimental design showed that the variations of physical properties versus processing factors were well described by the polynomial model. Filtration results are quite interesting, allowing these membranes to be used in industrial effluent treatment.
Highlights
IntroductionCeramic filtering membranes have been used in a wide range of applications and processes such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, the food industry, and industrial effluent
In recent years, ceramic filtering membranes have been used in a wide range of applications and processes such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, the food industry, and industrial effluentMinerals 2019, 9, 318; doi:10.3390/min9050318 www.mdpi.com/journal/mineralsMinerals 2019, 9, 318 treatment [1,2,3,4]
This study reported the manufacturing and the characterization of new ceramic filtration membranes from micaceous clay and phosphate sludge
Summary
Ceramic filtering membranes have been used in a wide range of applications and processes such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, the food industry, and industrial effluent. Micaceous clay and phosphate sludge obtained from clay deposits and phosphate-discharge plant dams (Morocco) respectively [7,8] could be a suitable material for low-cost membrane manufacture [9,10] This method presents the advantage of allowing the substitution of the materials commonly used in this field (alumina, zirconia, cordierite, mullite etc.) [11,12,13,14,15] by other, less expensive ones (clay) that have similar properties. This study is devoted to investigating the feasibility of the manufacture of new ceramic membrane filters from natural micaceous clay and industrial by-product (phosphate sludge) These membranes are designed to be used in industrial effluent treatment
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