Low-cost ceramic membrane from marble waste: Characterization and optimization using experimental design.

In the field of wastewater treatment, ceramic membranes have emerged as a promising technology due to their high filtration efficiency and durability. Unlike traditional polymer membranes, ceramic membranes are made from inorganic materials such as alumina, silica or other ceramic materials. They can withstand extreme operating conditions, such as high temperatures.and can be produced through compaction processes, sol-gel methods, extrusion, and hydrothermal synthesis techniques. Among these, compaction is the most frequently used method for fabricating.

Clay minerals are major raw materials for ceramic production that undergo a number of characteristic reactions, Clay is more durable and requires lower firing temperatures, as highlighted by several studies on the development of low-cost porous ceramics based primarily on clay as the main raw material.

To produce a membrane with high porosity and acceptable mechanical strength with the minimum of experimentation, we opted for optimized the preparation conditions by adjusting the sintering temperature, time and as well as the rate of marble waste addition.In this study, the Response Surface Methodology (RSM), based on the Doehl-type experimental design,In order to determine the optimal conditions of the preparation, the Doehlert design and Desirability function were applied.

Various analytical techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), thermogravimetric analysis (TDA-TG), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Archimedes principal testing, were used to investigate the properties of these ceramic membranes.