A well-defined porous ceramic having effective pore size less than 1 µm was provides a low cost and single stage filtration process. In terms of porosity and flow rate, the appropriate proportion of diatomaceous earth was used with fixed proportion of China Clay, Ball Clay and Limestone. An effective intra-particle pores in a range of 0.2-0.5 μm has been developed in a controlled way. Microbial removal efficiency of 99.99% has been achieved, while water flow rate in a range of 200-700 ml/hour which is comparable with the commercial filter available in the market.
Figure: SEM of porous diatomite powder
Affiliated faculty: Dr. Md. Fakhrul Islam, Mehedi Hasan Rizvi