Elaboration and characterization of porous ceramics based on granitic sandusing an extrusion process.

Elaboration and characterization of porous ceramics based on granitic sand using an extrusion process. During this work, new porous ceramics based on granitic sand were prepared and their properties were characterized The cho ice of this material is based on its natural abundance (low price). Powders mixed with certain organic additives can be extruded to fabricate a porous tabular configuration with a highly uniform porous structure. The sinterin g temperatures lay between 960 and 1070 degreesC. A ceramic membrane fired at 1040 degreesC had a mean pore diameter of 10 mum and the porosity was 45 %. The obtained results allow to conclude that granitic sand membranes can be used both in tangential microfiltration and as supports of ultrafiltrati on.