Preparation and characterization of carbon microfiltration membrane applied to the treatment of textile industry effluents

Two tubular carbon microfiltration membranes have been prepared using mineral coal powder under similar conditions onto graphite supports made from carbon powder of 25 and 44 µm and having a porosity and mean pore diameter of 34% and 37% and 1.7 and 3.0 µm, respectively. The mean pore diameters were of 0.5 and 0.8 µm, respectively.

The performances depend on the membrane pore diameter. Particularly, the membrane presenting the largest pore size reached a stabilized permeate flux at 1 bar of 150 L/h.m² against 4.5 L/h.m² for the membrane of 0.5 µm. However, both membranes showed similar efficiency in term of pollutant removal, which was found independent of transmembrane pressure.     

Recycling of waste fly ash for production of porous mullite ceramic membrane supports with increased porosity

Low-cost porous mullite ceramic membrane supports were fabricated from recycling coal fly ash with addition of natural bauxite. V₂O₅ and AlF₃ were used as additives to cause the growth of mullite crystals with various morphologies via an in situ reaction sintering. Dynamic sintering, microstructure and phase evolution of the membrane supports were characterized in detail and open porosity, pore size, gas permeation and mechanical properties were determined. It showed the membrane support with 3 wt.% V₂O₅ and 4 wt.% AlF₃ addition exhibits an open porosity of ∼50%, mechanical strength of 69.8 ± 7.2 MPa, an interlocking microstructure composed of anisotropically grown mullite whiskers with an aspect ratio of 18.2 ± 3.6 at 1300 °C. Addition of more V₂O₅ lowered the secondary mullitization temperature, resulting in more mullite formation at lower temperatures. The fabricated membrane supports feature high porosity without mechanical strength degradation, possible strengthening mechanism of the mullite whiskers was further discussed.     

Ceramic tiles derived from coal fly ash: Preparation and mechanical characterization

Coal fly ash (CFA) accounts for a large fraction of the solid waste produced in China. Hence, there is an urgent need for the effective utilization of CFA, for example, as a raw material for ceramics production. In this study, clay- and feldspar-like materials fabricated by alkali activation pre-treatment of CFA were mixed with untreated CFA (regarded as a quartz-like material) and sintered to prepare fully ash-based ceramic tiles. The obtained tiles exhibited excellent sintering properties, e.g., low firing temperature and a wide sintering range; further, they showed better green strength (due to hydrogen bonding) and post-sintering performance (due to fluxing and mullite skeleton effects) than ceramic tiles produced exclusively from untreated CFA. The fully ash-based ceramic tiles sintered at 1100 °C exhibited optimal post-sintering properties (bulk density, 2.5 g/cm³; rupture modulus, 50.1 MPa; and water absorption, 0%). Thus, the proposed method is well suited for preparing a novel kind of ceramic tiles completely derived from CFA, highlighting its importance in the field of fly ash ceramics.     

Study of ceramic ultrafiltration membrane support based on phosphate industry subproduct: Application for the cuttlefish conditioning effluents treatment

The development and the characterisation of a new support for ultrafiltration membranes prepared from the mud of the hydro cyclone laundries of phosphate are presented. The choice of this material is based mostly on its low cost (considering its abundance in the Tunisian ores). Indeed, the use of this material for membrane preparation allows a good management of this subproduct which represents a major problem in phosphate transformation industry due to the resulting environmental pollution.Paste from the mud of the hydro cyclone laundries of phosphate was extruded and heated at 900 °C to produce a porous tubular support having an average pore diameter and a porosity of about 1.05 μm and 39%, respectively. The properties regarding to mechanical and chemical resistances are very interesting. The deposition of the ultrafiltration layer from zirconium material was performed by slip-casting method. The heating treatment at 700 °C leads to an average pore size of 5 nm. The determination of the water permeability shows a value of 86 l/h m² bar. This membrane can be used for crossflow ultrafiltration. The application of the cuttlefish effluent treatment shows an important decrease of turbidity, inferior to 1.5 NTU and chemical organic demand (COD), retention rate of about 60%. So, it seems that this membrane is suitable to use for wastewater treatment.     

High value-added applications of coal fly ash in the form of porous materials: A review

Coal fly ash (CFA) is a solid waste generated by coal-fired power plants, and its massive accumulation problem needs to be solved urgently. There are many ways of resource utilization of CFA, but the applications of high added value are rare. Preparation of porous materials is an effective way to realize its high value-added applications. In this paper, porous materials are divided into ceramic membranes, thermal insulation materials and adsorption materials according to application fields. The research progress of porous materials prepared from CFA and used for filtration, thermal insulation and adsorption is reviewed. Ceramic membranes can filter different types of wastewater from different industries at different levels. Thermal insulation materials, with relatively low added value though, are easier to achieve large-scale production. Zeolites, geopolymers and various composite materials are crackerjack adsorbents, which can effectively purify wastewater and exhaust gas. After summary, comparison and discussion, it is concluded that ceramic membrane is the most ideal and feasible material to realize high value-added application of CFA among the three porous materials. Finally, the existing problems and future prospects of the three porous materials are stated.     

Effects of particle size on microstructure and mechanical strength of a fly ash based ceramic membrane

Recycling fly ash for ceramic membrane fabrication not only reduces solid waste discharge, but also decreases the membrane cost. Now, fly ash is becoming a promising substitute material for ceramic membrane preparation. A significant difference between fly ashes from different plants is the particle size, which makes performances of fly ash membranes unpredictable. The novelty of this work is to clarify the effects of the particle size of fly ash on ceramic membranes, thereby giving practical suggestions on fly ash selection for ceramic membrane preparation. Ceramic membranes were fabricated with different sizes of fly ashes. Effects of particle size on porosity, pore size, microstructure, mechanical strength and gas permeability of the membrane were investigated. Results indicate that a broader particle size distribution of fly ash leads to a denser structure of membrane with a lower porosity. Pore size and gas permeability of membrane increase while bending strength decreases with the particle size increasing. Bending strength of a fly ash membrane is largely determined by large particles in the fly ash because the large particles lead to cracks in the membrane. This work provides experimental bases for developing high performance ceramic membranes from fly ash.     

Waste recycling of coal fly ash for design of highly porous whisker-structured mullite ceramic membranes

Coal fly ash, a solid state waste massively produced from coal combustion, is considered to be highly hazardous to the environment due to its persistently toxic trace elements. High-value added waste recycling is a promising technique to address this issue. In this work, a waste-to-resource strategy is proposed for design of highly porous whisker-structured mullite ceramic membranes derived from waste coal fly ash and Al(OH)₃ as raw materials and MoO₃ as a single sintering additive. These were characterized in terms of their dynamic sintering behavior, shrinkage, bulk density, porosity, phase evolution, microstructure, pore size distribution, N₂ permeation flux, and mechanical strength. Addition of molybdenum trioxide effectively inhibited the sintering densification of membranes while at the same time forming a metastable low viscosity liquid at lower temperatures. This enables formation of a novel and more highly porous whisker-interlocked structure and accelerates the growth of mullite whiskers with controllable morphologies. Without degradation of mechanical properties, the open porosity increased significantly from 41.65 ± 0.13% to 58.14 ± 0.15% with increasing MoO₃ content from 0 to 20 wt.% without any pore-forming agent, while shrinkage and pore size decreased. The method proposed in this study is expected not only to give a new and facile insight for high-value added recycling of waste coal fly ash but also to fabricate low-cost high performance ceramic membranes with novel structures for further environmental applications.     

Performance of a new ceramic microfiltration membrane based on kaolin in textile industry wastewater treatment

A ceramic microfiltration membrane with a porosity of 40.2%, mean pore diameter of 0.27?μm, and a flexural strength of 55?MPa was prepared and applied for treatment of two types of textile dye-bath effluents. The ceramic membrane had a water permeability of 1376?L/m².h.bar and showed excellent corrosion resistance against basic medium. Considerable removal of COD (25%), TDS (31%), BOD (39%), turbidity (21%), sulphates (34%), chlorides (33%), and color (26%) from textile effluents was achieved in the microfiltration treatment along with complete (100%) removal of TSS. This study revealed that filtration of textile effluents using a sub-micron range ceramic membrane (0.27?μm) is more effective than traditional microfiltration membranes (2–10?μm). The flux data fitted well with the standard pore blocking model indicating that the removal of various contaminants is due to adsorption of solutes on the interior surfaces of membrane pores.     

粉煤灰在工业污水处理上的研究与应用

在对国内外有关文献资料分析的基础上 ,综述了利用粉煤灰研究、开发聚合氯化铝等水处理材料的现状以及利用粉煤灰处理重金属、含氟、含磷、造纸、印染等各类工业污水的研究与应用进展     

Studies of sintering of coal ash relevant to pulverised coal utility boilers: 2. Preliminary studies of compressive strengths of fly ash sinters

The development of strength of pellets of fly ash with sintering temperature was investigated. Pellets heated below the shrinkage or electrical (Raask) sinter point did not develop strength over several hours. Hot crushing of pellets above the sinter point gave plastic deformation, presumably due to liquid on the particle surfaces. Cooling below the sinter point before crushing gave the same strength as crushing at room temperature, showing strength was due to solidification. Strength as a function of heat treatment temperature (1 h duration) above the sinter point went through a maximum, indicating that liquid is removed at higher temperature. SEM analysis of the cold pellets showed glassy sintering at conditions of maximum strength, and crystallization of mullite as strength decreased with higher heat treatment temperatures. Results suggest that iron silicate compositions increased the maximum sinter strength more than sodium silicate compositions. Water washing of fly ash reduced maximum strength. Addition of Na₂0 or surface films of sodium carbonate to a synthetic mineral mixture reduced the sinter point and led to strength development at lower temperatures: however, too high additions reduced the maximum strength.     

粉煤灰合成沸石及其处理焦化废水A/O出水的试验

以NaOH作碱源,采用水热晶化法将粉煤灰转化成沸石.通过改变灼烧温度、NaOH浓度、液固比、晶化时间,考察合成条件对合成沸石阳离子交换容量的影响,并应用于焦化废水A/O出水的处理.结果表明:在灼烧温度为700℃、NaOH浓度为1 mol/L、液固比为5:1 mL/g、晶化时间为36 h条件下,合成沸石的阳离子交换容量最高为167 mmol/100g,是原粉煤灰的12.8倍,高于天然沸石的160 mmol/100 g;合成沸石处理焦化废水A/O出水的最佳条件是反应时间为1 h,沸石投加量为2g/100mL,pH值为6.0～9.0,此时NH3-N、COD去除率及出水质量浓度分别为46.7%、17.6%和62.6、197.8 mg/L,合成沸石对NH广N的吸附符合Freundlich吸附等温式.     

Influence of dextrin content and sintering temperature on the properties of coal fly ash-based tubular ceramic membrane for flue gas moisture recovery

In this paper, in order to reduce the preparation cost of high-performance ceramic membrane, coal fly ash-based tubular ceramic membrane for flue gas moisture recovery was prepared, and its properties were optimized from two aspects: pore-forming agent (dextrin) content and sintering temperature. The results show that the ceramic membrane with dextrin content of 3 wt.% and sintering temperature of 1150 ℃ has the best performance. Through characterization, the ceramic membrane exhibits an open porosity of 42.0 %, mechanical strength of 26.6 MPa, average pore size of 0.49 μm, pure water flux of 5616 L/(m² barh). And, it has excellent corrosion resistance in acid and alkali. In addition, the flue gas moisture recovery performance of coal fly ash-based tubular ceramic membrane was studied experimentally. The highest water recovery ratio and the highest recovered water flux is 87.7 % and 6.01 kg/(m² h, respectively.     

Application of B MAS-NMR to the characterization of boron in coal fly ash generated from Nantun coal

Boron and its compounds are environmentally hazardous substance and are well-known condensed products that appear in coal fly ash during combustion of coal in coal-fired electric power stations. In a previous study, we suggested that boron in coal fly ash obtained from Nantun coal in China, identified as Ash-N, may exist on the surface of relatively large coal fly ash particles or as very fine particles generated by homogeneous nucleation. Although the characterization of boron in coal fly ash is important for its effective stabilization or removal, its detection is quite difficult because of its low concentration in coal fly ash and its light atomic weight. In the present work, solid-state magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS-NMR) technique has been applied to reveal the local chemical structures of boron in Ash-N. In the ¹¹B MAS-NMR spectrum of Ash-N, two peaks which are attributed to a three-oxygen coordinated boron unit (BO₃) and a four-oxygen coordinated boron unit (BO₄) were observed with high resolution. We have estimated quadrupole parameters of the BO₃ unit in Ash-N using computer simulation, and we have fingerprinted these moieties with the parameters of borates. The result of the present analysis shows that calcium- or magnesium-bearing orthoborate or pyroborate are the most likely forms of boron in Ash-N.     

Recycling of coal fly ash for fabrication of elongated mullite rod bonded porous SiC ceramic membrane and its application in filtration

Mullite bonded SiC ceramic membranes were synthesized by a facile solid-state reaction process, using SiC, solid waste fly ash as raw materials and MoO₃ as catalyst for growth of mullite at 1000 °C. The effect of MoO₃ catalyst on mullitization reaction and mullite morphology was investigated. Different pore formers were used to enhance the porosity and to observe its effects on the permeability parameters and filtration characteristics. At room temperature Darcian (k₁) and non-Darcian (k₂) in both water and air flow were measured and clean water flux was determined. The porous SiC ceramics with addition of 5 wt.% MoO₃ exhibited a flexural strength of 38.4 MPa at porosity 36.4 vol% and showed 92% oil removal efficiency from oily wastewater. This technique, combining low-cost materials and the co-sintering at low temperature, can serve as a cost-effective method for the production of high-performance porous SiC ceramic membrnaes for filtration application.     

Realizable recycling of coal fly ash from solid waste for the fabrication of porous Al2TiO5-Mullite composite ceramic

As the environment deteriorates, recycling of solid waste has become increasingly important. This study aimed to optimize the use of the Fe₂O₃, SiO₂, and CaO components in coal fly ash and to convert coal fly ash into stable porous Al₂TiO₅-mullite (AT–M) composite ceramic by sintering with AlOOH and TiO₂ additives at high temperatures. The phase composition, microstructure, apparent porosity, corrosion resistance, and mechanical properties of porous AT–M composite ceramics were systematically investigated. Results indicated that the sintered samples exhibited pore size distributions within the 0.16-2.9 μm, apparent porosities of approximately 52.8%, and flexural strength of 29.6 MPa. Corrosion resistance data revealed quality losses in the aqueous NaOH and H₂SO₄ solutions for 10 hours at 0.42% and 2.19%, respectively. After corrosion for 8 hours, the average flexural strength of the samples remained at 21.6 ± 0.53 and 20.84 ± 0.6 MPa, respectively. These findings show that these porous AT–M ceramics may provide enhanced corrosion resistance under alkaline conditions. The porous AT–M composite ceramics may fabricate high-performance composite membrane supports for the high temperature flue gas filtration.     

Research and development of lithium recovery from multi-component complex system of coal fly ash

With the tight supply and demand of lithium resources and the increasing demand, the recovery of lithium from low-grade or secondary resources such as seawater, waste lithium batteries and fly ash has attracted attention. This review summarized the concentration and distribution of lithium resources in coal and coal fly ash, the technological progress of recovering lithium from multi-component complex system of coal fly ash. This paper also summarized the current methods, materials and reaction mechanisms for recovering lithium from other low-grade resources, which we elaborated from alkaline, neutral and acidic systems. Their feasibility for extracting lithium from coal fly ash was evaluated. The problems and development directions were also analyzed and discussed. The above methods can provide technological reference for recovering lithium from coal fly ash. Finally, we gave a prospect on the recovery of lithium resources from coal fly ash. The synergetic recovery of multi elements from coal fly ash has been highlighted.     

粉煤灰多元复杂体系锂资源提取的研究及发展

随着锂资源供需关系的紧张和需求量日益增大,从海水、废旧锂电池以及粉煤灰等低品位或者二次资源中回收锂受到重视。综述了煤及粉煤灰中锂资源的含量及分布、粉煤灰多元复杂体系中锂资源提取的技术现状,回顾了当前国内外从其他低品位资源中提锂的技术方法、材料和反应机制,分别从碱性、中性、酸性三种不同的提锂环境进行总结和阐述,对其用于粉煤灰提锂的可行性进行了评估,并对其存在问题和发展方向进行了分析和讨论,从其他低品位资源中提锂的方法可为粉煤灰提锂提供借鉴和参考。文章结尾对粉煤灰中锂资源的提取进行了展望,提出了粉煤灰中伴生资源协同提取的重要性和发展方向。     

New ceramic microfiltration membranes from Tunisian natural materials: Application for the cuttlefish effluents treatment

New microfiltration membranes from Tunisian natural materials are obtained using ceramic method. Paste from Tunisian silty marls refereed (M₁₁) is extruded to elaborate a porous tubular configuration used as supports. The support heated at 1190 °C, shows an average pore diameters and porosity of about 9.2 μm and 49%, respectively. The properties in term of mechanical and corrosion resistances are very interesting. The elaboration of the layer based on Tunisian clay refereed (JM₁₈) is performed by slip-casting method. The heating treatment at 900 °C leads to an average pore size of 0.18 μm. The water permeability determined of this membrane is 867 l h⁻¹ m⁻² bar⁻¹. This membrane can be used for crossflow microfiltration. The application to the cuttlefish effluent clarification shows an important decrease of turbidity (inferior to 1 NTU) and chemical organic demand (COD) values (retention rate of about 65%). So, it seems that the prepared membrane is suitable for such wastewater treatment.     

粉煤灰微波合成沸石在水处理中的应用

以粉煤灰为原料采用微波水热合成法制备沸石,将其用于废水处理中,考察了粉煤灰合成沸石对氨氮、磷、Fe2+、Mn2+、Cu2+的去除效果.实验结果表明,与粉煤灰相比,粉煤灰合成沸石具有更高的氨氮、磷去除率;在吸附去除废水中的Fe2+、Mn2+、Cu2+时,合成沸石比天然沸石更有效.     

新型粉煤灰絮凝剂的制备及其应用研究

以粉煤灰为主要原料制备复合无机高分子絮凝剂--聚硅磷氯化铝铁(PSPAFC),通过正交实验考察了原料的最佳配比,并对活化过程中的pH范围进行研究.结果表明,制备聚硅磷氯化铝铁的最佳原料配比为n(SiO2):n/(Al+Fe)为2:1,n(Al):n(Fe)为7:3,n(P):n(Al+Fe)为3:20,活化硅酸的最佳p...