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Preparation and Characterization of Ceramic Membrane by Using Rice
Husk as Pore Forming Agent
Nur Hanis Syafiqah Binti Hamdan
Supervisor: Dr. Mohd Al Amin Bin Muhamad Nor
Bachelor of Science (Chemical Sciences)
School of Fundamental Science
Ceramic membrane gain reputation in treating wastewater due to their high
permeability, chemicals resistance and thermal stability. In this study, ball clay ceramic
membranes were fabricated using slip casting method. Rice husk (0wt%-40wt%) were
used as pore forming agent. Fabricated membranes were sintered at 900°C. Porosity
and density of the membranes were determined by Archimedes’ principle while
compressive strength determined by Universal Testing Machine. The morphology were
observed using Scanning Electron Microscopy. As porosity increase from 36% to 52%,
density was decreased from 2.5g/cm 3 to 1.7g/cm 3 with increasing amount of rice husk
from 0wt% to 40wt%. Compressive strength was decreased from 10.9 MPa to 0.6
MPa. Morphology of the membranes showed that the amount of pores was increased
with increasing amount of rice husk. Hence, the utilization of rice husk as pore forming
agent has certainly affected the properties of the membranes and possessed good
potential in wastewater filtration.
439 | U M T U N D E R G R A D U A T E R E S E A R C H D A Y 2018