Evaluation of the Performance of Nigerian Kaolin for Oil-Water Filtration Ceramic Hollow Fiber Membrane
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4314/cajost.v1i2.51Keywords:
Kaolin, Ceramic, Hollow-fiber-membrane, Oily-wastewaterAbstract
Membrane Technology has gained more interest in recent years for the treatment of oily wastewater. Among the membranes, ceramic membranes hold the prerequisite properties such as hydrophilicity, antimicrobial and thermal stability. In this study, ceramic hollow fiber membrane prepared from kaolin obtained from Kankara in Katsina State, Nigeria was investigated for the filtration of oily-wastewater treatment. EDS analysis of the kaolin showed adequate amount of Silica and alumina, 55% and 49% respectively suggesting that Kankara kaolin can be used in manufacture of ceramic membranes. The effect of different kaolin concentrations, 34, 35.5 and 37% on ceramic membrane formation was also investigated. AFM analysis of the hollow fiber ceramic membrane topography showed that 34 wt% kaolin membrane exhibited higher water permeability as compared to other membranes. This was attributed
to the surface packing density and porosity of the membrane. Interestingly, 34% membrane also exhibited higher oil-water flux with rejection of more than 90%. Maximum oil-rejection and lesser fouling percentage were observed for 37 wt% membrane. This study suggests the possible utilization of low-cost ceramic membrane for oily wastewater treatment.