Low-cost ceramic membranes prepared from kaolin and quartz via tape casting using different pore formers

• The fabrication of kaolinite/quartz porous membranes by tape casting was successful • Increasing quartz content considerably increased open porosity and water permeance • Pore formers increased open porosity and water permeance at lower quartz content • Sintering at 1300°C and graphite addition resulted in highly permeable membranes • Membranes with 60% porosity and >1926 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹·bar⁻¹ water permeance were obtained Ceramic membranes offer high thermal, chemical, and mechanical stability, long lifespan, and high hydrophilicity. However, their high cost limits widespread use, highlighting the need for low-cost alternatives. This study evaluated kaolin and quartz for ceramic membranes production via tape casting. The influence of quartz content (10 – 50 vol%), sintering temperature (1300 or 1400°C), and pore formers (graphite or PMMA) on membrane properties were studied. Without pore formers, open porosity and water permeance were considerably improved just by increasing quartz content. Adding PMMA or graphite more than doubled porosity at lower quartz content, increasing water permeance almost 13- and 22-fold, respectively. Membranes with ∼60% porosity and water permeances of 1926-2646 L·m -2 ·h -1 ·bar -1 were obtained at 1300°C using graphite. This study shows that adjusting slurry composition and sintering temperature enables the production of low-cost kaolinite-based membranes with tailored properties, expanding their applications in separation processes while reducing costs and environmental impact.