Feasible recycling of industrial waste coal fly ash for preparation of anorthite-cordierite based porous ceramic membrane supports with addition of dolomite

Recycling of industrial solid state waste is always the priority solution in the prospect of waste management. This work demonstrated a new method converting coal fly ash (CFA) industrial waste to anorthite-cordierite-based porous ceramic membrane supports (ACCMS), through high-temperature sintering with additions of dolomite mineral. Characterization of as-prepared ACCMS included phase composition, microstructure, pore structure, N2 and water permeability, and mechanical properties. From dilatometric measurements, the densification temperature of a sample with 28.43 wt.% dolomite addition was extended to 1100 °C compared to 1060 °C for that of a sample without any dolomite. For samples sintered at 1150 °C, their open porosity increased from 25.2 ± 0.5% to 46.5 ± 0.2% when dolomite addition increased from 0 to 28.43 wt.%. It is suggested that this level of dolomite addition significantly inhibited the sintering behavior of CFA.