Processing and characterization of TiO2/ZnAl2O4 ultrafiltration membranes deposited on tubular support prepared from Moroccan clay

The preparation of a composite ultrafiltration membrane of TiO2/ZnAl2O4 by sol-gel route is presented. In this work, an original macroporous support made of Moroccan clay has been used to support an intermediate ZrO2 layer and the active TiO2/ZnAl2O4 ultrafiltration layer. The main characteristics of the ultrafiltration membrane are reported (pore diameter: 5 nm; water flux: 9.4 l h−1 m−2 bar−1; thickness: 0.7 μm; cutoff: 5000 Da), they confirm the prepared membrane is a low ultrafiltration membrane which is able to remove electrolytes solutes by a Donnan exclusion mechanism.