Preparation and characterization of ceramic membrane using waste almond shells as pore forming agent

Abstract

In this work, a kaolin based ceramic microfiltration membrane prepared by uniaxial compaction method using locally available waste almond shells as a natural pore-forming agent is reported. The powder (60ASTM Mesh) prepared from waste almond shells was added to the raw mix as a pore-forming agent. The disc prepared from the raw mix at 150 MPa was sintered at 850℃ for 4 h to obtain the membrane. The raw material and the membrane were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The pore diameter and porosity of the membrane were obtained as 0.290 μm and 46.45% with good chemical stability. The fabrication cost of the membrane based on the cost of raw material was estimated to be Rs. 2083.33/m2. These results show that the almond shells can be utilized as an economical and green material in the fabrication of low-cost ceramic membranes.