Preparation of high temperature co-fired ceramic membrane for high efficient oil/water emulsion treatment

Ceramic membrane separation technology has great potential for the treatment of oily wastewater. However, factors such as low filtration flux, high production costs, and a complicated preparation process hinder its large-scale application. In this study, an asymmetric-structure ceramic microfiltration membrane was successfully prepared using dry-pressing and high temperature co-firing method using alumina whiskers as the membrane layer. The maximum pore size of the ceramic membrane prepared by co-fired at 1450 °C was 0.659 μm, and the pure water flux was 1795L/(m2 ⋅ h ⋅ bar). When treating a 1000 mg/L oil/water emulsion, the ceramic membrane maintained separation flux of 251L/(m2 ⋅ h ⋅ bar) after ten filtration cycles, and the oil rejection efficiency consistently remains above 99%. Moreover, the one-step high-temperature co-firing process will further improve the overall physical and chemical properties of ceramic membranes, providing important reference for improving the application efficiency of ceramic membranes in complex working conditions.