Utilization of Rice Husk, an Abundant and Inexpensive Biomass in Porous Ceramic Membrane Preparation: A Crucial Role of Firing Temperature

Abstract

The influence of firing temperature on characteristics and bacterial filtration of the porous ceramic membrane prepared from rice husk (20 wt%) and kaolin has been investigated. As firing temperatures increased from 900 to 1100°C, the compressive strength of membrane increased from 555.3 N/cm2 to 2992.3 N/cm2, whereas the porosity decreased from 49.4 to 30.2% due to structural condensation and mullite formation. The condensation caused pore contraction that finally improved bacterial removal efficiency from ~90% to 99%. The results suggested that the porous ceramic membrane prepared from rice husk and kaolin should be fired at ~1050°C to attain both strength and filtration efficiency.