Permeability of Porous Ceramic Membranes Obtained from Waste of the Coal Extraction Process

Abstract

The coal extraction generates large amounts of coal waste. Powders of this waste can be pressed with the addition of binder in order to obtain ceramics, such as ceramic membranes. In this case, polymeric fibers can be used to increase permeability. This work aims to study the permeability of ceramic structures composed by coal waste and different amounts of polymeric fibers. The compositions were homogenized, pressed and thermally treated at 1050 °C. Samples were characterized in relation to porosity determination, permeability and microstructural features. The results showed that the permeability increased with the increase of the fiber content. However, the composition containing 0.5 vol% of polypropylene fibers showed the best results for using in aerosol filtration permeability.