Design and characterization of flat membrane supports elaborated from kaolin and aluminum powders

摘要

Porous flat ceramic-metal composite (Cermet) membrane supports were elaborated from kaolin and aluminum powder mixtures by the press drying-sintering process. The evolution of structure and surface properties was followed by water permeation, tensile strength, mercury porosimetry, surface charge and contact angle measurements. These characterizations have demonstrated that the addition of aluminum to the kaolin matrix has a beneficial effect on the membrane support properties. In particular, the water permeability and mechanical strength increased gradually in the presence of aluminum. In addition, the hydrophilicity of the cermet supports was found to increase gradually with the aluminum load. However, the surface charge was not affected by the aluminum introduced into the cermet composition. Filtration experiments were carried out with the support containing 4% wt of aluminum. The results have indicated that this support could be used to purify dye-containing water. (C) 2015 Academie des sciences. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.