Fabrication and performance of reticular ceramic fiber membranes by freeze casting using a gel network

Abstract It is of great practical significance to manufacture ceramic membranes with good reusability. We used a macromolecular gel network for in situ enhancement of a reticulated skeleton ceramic (RSC) membrane. The prepared RSC membranes were firstly characterized to determine their physical and chemical properties. The sample calcined at 1400 °C has a porosity of 41.66 %, a pore size of 0.34 μm, a mechanical strength of 4.53 MPa, and a permeability of 63.92 L m−1 h−1 bar−1. This membrane can effectively reduce the content of total organic carbon (TOC) (80 %) and calcium ion (>85 %). In addition, the flux of RSC fouled by alginate, calcium ions, or their mixture is effectively recovered by simple chemical rinsing using sodium hydroxide and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid.