Characterization of flat membrane support elaborated from local Moroccan Perlite

The present paper reports the in situ synthesis of porous ceramic support from local Moroccan perlite. This material has been dictated by their natural abundance (low price) and their beneficial properties. In this work, we were interested in the development and the characterization of new mineral support for microfiltration membrane. The support, with flat configuration, was prepared from natural perlite: the powder was crushed, sieved to 200 μm and mixed with organic additives and water. The obtained paste was then extruded to elaborate a porous structure. The firing temperature of the support is 1000 °C. The evolution of densification and surface quality of support sintered at different temperatures was followed by scanning electron microscopy. After firing, the elaborated support showed an average pore diameter of 6.64 μm and a porosity of 41.8%. Perlite support presents a good chemical resistance in acidic medium than in basic medium. The average support permeability determined using pure distilled water is 1797 L/h m² bar. The elaborated support was used to clarify a suspension of baking powder at 4 g/L. Frontal filtration process was seen to remove turbidity from the feed completely; the removal percentage of suspended matter from water is between 95 and 100%.

Research highlights
► New ceramic support with flat configuration was prepared from natural perlite.
► Perlite has been dictated by their natural abundance and their beneficial properties.
► Support need lower firing temperature in comparison with metal oxide materials.
► Structural properties of perlite support are satisfying in terms of porosity and pore diameter.
► Perlite based material is appropriate for the development of supports for microfiltration membranes.