Preparation of chamott es as raw material for low - cost ceramic membranes

Abstract

Low cost ceramic membranes are usually prepared fro m a mixture of natural raw materials and some organic porogen agent, as starch . The fact that the porogen must be completely eliminated during firing, leaving an int erconnected porous structure, impose large firing times, increasing the final price. A s tudy about the synthesis of porous chamottes as an alternative to organic pore formers was conducted to reduce firing costs. Chamottes were obtained from mixtures of a c lay and starch. Different starches were used and the influence of the composition and processing variables were studied. The viability of the porous chamottes was demonstra ted.