Effect of processing parameters on mullite bonded SiC membrane for turbid water filtration

A water-filtration membrane made of SiC possesses some excellent properties, but its application is limited by high fabrication cost. In this study, two sets of mullite bonded porous SiC ceramics membranes were prepared at reduced temperature by oxidation bonding method using different processing conditions. Dead-end filtration mode was utilized for the determination of permeability and their efficiency towards removal of turbidity. It was found that all the membranes prepared using different composition, pore formers (graphite, PVC and PMMA) and sintering temperature exhibited high turbidity removal efficiency (> 99%). This study provides an efficient method to prepare porous SiC ceramics with excellent permeability and turbidity removal efficiency, which will be helpful for the design of low cost SiC ceramic filters for water treatment.