Ceramic membranes are a type of artificial membranes made from inorganic materials (such

as alumina, titania, zirconia oxides, silicon carbide or some glassy materials). They are used
in membrane operations.
By contrast with polymeric membranes, they can be used in separations where aggressive media
(acids, strong solvents) are present. They also have excellent thermal stability which makes them
usable in high-temperature membrane operations.
Like polymeric membranes, they are either dense or porous.
Dense membranes[edit]
Dense ceramic membranes are used for the purpose of gas separation. Examples are the
separation of oxygen from air, or the separation of hydrogen gas from a mixture.
Porous membranes[edit]
Porous ceramic membranes are chiefly used for gas separation and micro- or nanofiltration. They
can be made from both crystalline as well as amorphous solids.
An example of an amorphous membrane is the silica membrane.
[1]

An example of a highly porous membrane is the type made of silicon
carbide. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1365-6937(13)70257-0
References[edit]
1. Jump up^ R.M. de Vos and H. Verweij (1998). "High-Selectivity, High-Flux Silica Membranes for
Gas Separation". Science 279 (5357): 1710
1711. Bibcode:1998Sci...279.1710D.doi:10.1126/science.279.5357.1710. PMID 9497287.



Ceramic Membrane Module for Microfiltration and
Ultrafiltration







Technology Overview
The invention proposed a membrane module that contains multiple single-tube ceramic
membranes assembled within a tubular housing with top and bottom housing cover, support
bar and a variety of seals and sealing means. The proposed design alleviates the mechanical
and thermal stresses associated with ceramic membrane technology, especially, if the
processed fluids are subjected to wide temperature variations.

Potential Applications
Ceramic membrane provides a fine sieve and is use as a filter module for microfiltration and
ultrafiltration. It find widespread applications in diverse industries such as pharmaceutical
and biotechnology, food & beverages chemical & oil, environment & pollution control and
water treatment; from cell separations in high load biology to filtration of sediment from
beer to the recycling of swimming pool water.

Market Trends and Opportunities
The advanced in membrane technology has driven the applications and penetration into
water and wastewater treatment, and food and beverage processing. There is an increasing
shift toward value-added and high performance membranes such as microfiltration and
ultrafiltration. Accordingly, the industry study by Freedonia indicated that the membrane
separation industry in US alone is US$2.4 billion and this is slated to grow at an annual
growth rate of 8.7% to 2015.

Technology Features & Specifications
A robust design and construction of a ceramic membrane module minimizing mechanical
and thermal stresses .
The design is scalable. It allows for additional support bar, increased number of single-
tube ceramic membranes at varied operating temperatures and pressures.
Allow on-line regeneration of the single-tube ceramic membranes as well as easy
replacement of individual damaged single-tube ceramic membranes.

Customer Benefits
Unlike conventional multi-channel ceramic membranes, the present design and
construction is both cost-effective and superior in overall performance.
Damaged single-tube ceramic membranes can be easily replaced without affecting other
single-tube ceramic membrane and this reduces maintenance cost.
The design and construction is robust and scalable and operate well in processed fluid
with high variations in temperature.