Construction of asymmetric ceramic membranes with identical source interlayer on fly ash support by dip-coating

As a highly efficient separation technology, ceramic membranes have been widely applied. The use of fly ash to prepare low-cost ceramic membranes has garnered significant attention in recent years. However, challenges remain in the preparation of asymmetric ceramic membranes with high performance. This study presents an efficient approach to fabricating asymmetric ceramic membranes with an identical source interlayer on fly ash supports using the dip-coating method. The alumina selective layer was co-sintered with the optimized interlayer at 1000°C. The average pore size of the asymmetric ceramic microfiltration membrane was approximately 120 nm, and the pure water permeance reached 870 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹·bar⁻¹. The ceramic microfiltration membrane demonstrated high efficiency in separating oil-in-water emulsions, achieving a stable permeance of 130 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹·bar⁻¹ and a TOC removal rate above 99 %. This work provides an efficient and effective construction method for producing fly ash-based ceramic membranes with high performance.