Skip to main content

Ceramic Membranes for Liquid Separation Processes

From Research to Real-World Applications

  • 1st Edition - October 1, 2026
  • Latest edition
  • Editor: Zhenghua Zhang
  • Language: English

Ceramic Membranes for Liquid Separation Processes: From Research to Real-World Applications aims to provide an extensive review of both conventional and advanced ceramic membra… Read more

World Book Day celebration

Where learning shapes lives

Up to 25% off trusted resources that support research, study, and discovery.

Description

Ceramic Membranes for Liquid Separation Processes: From Research to Real-World Applications aims to provide an extensive review of both conventional and advanced ceramic membranes, focusing on their development and real-world applications. The book's objectives are to bridge the gap between academic research and industrial application. It presents the latest advancements in catalytic ceramic membranes and provides a comprehensive overview of the ceramic membrane industry. It addresses significant topics such as material innovations, fabrication techniques, mechanistic insights, membrane fouling and mitigation strategies, and the use of catalytic membranes in water and wastewater treatment applications. By highlighting both academic and industrial perspectives, the book seeks to educate and empower researchers, engineers, and policymakers working in the field of membrane technology and environmental engineering to promote the adoption of catalytic ceramic membranes as a promising solution for clean water reclamation.

Key features

  • Comprehensive assessment of ceramic membrane technology and catalytic ceramic membranes
  • Detailed coverage of pilot and full-scale applications in water purification and wastewater treatment
  • Discusses emerging nanoconfined catalytic membranes for water purification
  • Includes detailed analysis of available ceramic membrane companies, marketed products, and full-scale implementations
  • Emphasis on bridging academic research with industrial practice via case study examples
  • Covers gas-phase synthesis techniques, dynamic membrane techniques, catalytic activity mechanisms, and membrane regeneration and longevity
  • Addresses the challenges of industrial scale-up and comparative analysis of hybrid membrane systems

Readership

Academic researchers, materials scientists and engineers, and industrial R&D engineers working in water and wastewater treatment, membrane technology, separation science and environmental engineering.

Table of contents

1. Introduction to ceramic membranes

1.1 Overview of ceramic membranes

1.2 Ceramic membrane applications

1.3 Ceramic membrane industries

1.4 Current academic developments shaping industrial applications

Part 1: Fabrication techniques and material innovations in ceramic membranes

2. Material innovations in ceramic membranes

2.1 Overview

2.2 Conventional materials

2.2.1. Alumina

2.2.2. Zirconia

2.2.3. Titania

2.2.4. Silicon carbide

2.3 Composite ceramic membranes

2.4 Nanostructured ceramic membranes

2.5 Conclusion

2.6 References


3. Fabrication techniques for ceramic membranes

3.1 Overview

3.2 Conventional fabrication techniques

3.2.1. Sintering

3.2.2. Extrusion

3.2.3. Slip casting

3.2.4. Tape casting

3.2.5. Pressing

3.2.6. Sol-gel

3.2.7. Dip-coating

3.2.8. Phase inversion

3.3 Advanced fabrication techniques

3.3.1. Spark plasma sintering

3.3.2. Laser sintering

3.3.3. 3D printing

3.3.4. Joule heating

3.3.5. Self-assembly

3.3.6. Microwave-assisted synthesis

3.3.7. Gas-phase synthesis

3.4 Comparison of fabrication techniques

3.5 Conclusion

3.6 References


4. Developments of catalytic ceramic membranes

4.1 Overview

4.2 Fundamentals of catalytic membranes

4.3 Catalytic-based ceramic membrane developments

4.3.1. 0-Dimensional

4.3.2. 1-Dimensional

4.3.3. 2-Dimensional

4.4 Fabrication strategies for catalytic ceramic membranes

4.4.1. Pressure deposition

4.4.2. Consolidated sintering

4.4.3. Sol-gel

4.4.4. Chemical vapor deposition

4.5 Conclusion

4.6 References

Part 2: Advances in academic research on ceramic membrane applications

5. Conventional water treatment applications

5.1 Overview

5.2 Drinking water treatment

5.2.1. Microfiltration

5.2.2. Ultrafiltration

5.3 Conventional wastewater treatment

5.3.1. Removal of dyes

5.3.2. Removal of pharmaceutical waste

5.3.3. Removal of heavy metals

5.4 Oil-water separation

5.4.1. Oil-in-water emulsion

5.4.2. Water-in-oil emulsion

5.5 Membrane bioreactor (MBR)

5.5.1. Aerobic MBR

5.5.2. Anaerobic MBR

5.5.3. Hybrid MBR

5.6 Desalination

5.6.1. Microfiltration pretreatment for reverse osmosis

5.6.2. Membrane distillation

5.6.3. Electrodialysis

5.7 Organic solvent filtration

5.8 Conclusion

5.9 References


6. Advancements of catalytic ceramic membranes

6.1 Overview

6.2 Catalytic ozonation ceramic membranes

6.3 Integrated Fenton-like process ceramic membranes

6.4 Other oxidants-based catalytic ceramic membranes

6.5 Electrochemically enhanced ceramic membranes

6.6 Photocatalytic ceramic membranes

6.7 Catalytic degradation mechanism studies

6.8 Conclusion

6.9 References


7. Nanoconfined catalytic ceramic membranes

7.1 Overview

7.2 Preparation of nanoconfined catalytic ceramic membranes

7.2.1. Spatial confinement using 2D nanomaterials

7.2.2. Spatial confinement within membrane pores

7.3 Mechanistic insights

7.3.1. Reaction kinetics

7.3.2. Catalyst properties

7.3.3. Degradation pathways

7.4 Applications of nanoconfined catalytic ceramic membranes

7.5 Conclusion

7.6 References


8. Membrane fouling and mitigation strategies

8.1 Overview

8.2 Type of foulants

8.2.1. Organic

8.2.2. Inorganic

8.2.3. Biological

8.2.4. Colloidal

8.3 Classical blockage models

8.3.1. Standard blockage

8.3.2. Intermediate blockage

8.3.3. Complete blockage

8.3.4. Filter cake blockage

8.4 Combined blockage models

8.4.1. Cake-standard

8.4.2. Cake-intermediate

8.4.3. Cake-complete

8.4.4. Complete standard

8.4.5. Intermediate standard

8.5 Mitigation techniques

8.5.1. Hydraulic backwashing

8.5.2. Dynamic membrane

8.5.3. Chemical washing

8.5.4. Microbubbles aeration

8.5.5. Coagulation

8.5.6. Advanced oxidation processes

8.5.7. Membrane regeneration and longevity

8.6 Conclusion

8.7 References

Part 3: Real-world applications of ceramic membranes

9. Ceramic membrane industries

9.1 Overview

9.2 Type of commercialized ceramic membranes

9.3 Integration of ceramic membranes with other technologies

9.4 Computational modelling and simulation

9.5 Industrial scale-up and challenges

9.6 Conclusion

9.7 References


10. Full-scale application of ceramic membranes

10.1 Overview

10.2 Drinking water treatment

10.3 Wastewater treatment

10.3.1. Municipal wastewater

10.3.2. Oily wastewater

10.3.3. Heavy metals wastewater

10.3.4. Papermaking wastewater

10.3.5. Semiconductor wastewater

10.3.6. Medicinal wastewater

10.3.7. Slaughterhouse wastewater

10.4 Other full-scale applications

10.4.1. Food industry

10.4.2. Pharmaceutical industry

10.4.3. Tobacco industry

10.4.4. Seawater pre-treatment for aquaculture

10.4.5. Black odorous water

10.5 Pre-treatment for desalination

10.6 Conclusion

10.7 References

Part 4: Assessment of ceramic membranes for future prospects and strategic insights

11. Evaluation of ceramic membrane technology for industrial applications

11.1 Overview

11.2 Techno-economic analysis

11.2.1. Technical/Technology feasibility

11.2.2. Economic feasibility

11.3 Life-cycle assessment

11.3.1. Energy consumption

11.3.2. Carbon footprint

11.3.3. Waste generation

11.4 Policy and regulatory implications

11.5 SWOT analysis

11.4.1. Strength

11.4.2. Weaknesses

11.4.3. Threats

11.4.4. Opportunities

11.6 References

Product details

  • Edition: 1
  • Latest edition
  • Published: October 1, 2026
  • Language: English

About the editor

ZZ

Zhenghua Zhang

Prof. Zhenghua Zhang is the Deputy Dean at the Institute of Environment and Ecology, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, China. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Queensland University of Science and Technology, Australia. Prof. Zhang received his PhD in Environmental Engineering from the University of New South Wales, Australia, where he also completed his postdoctoral research. He holds a master’s degree in Polymer Chemistry and Physics and a bachelor’s degree in Polymer Materials and Engineering from Zhejiang University, China. His main research interests include membrane technology, water treatment, catalytic processes, and material science. His work focuses on the development of advanced catalytic ceramic membranes for environmental applications and the scaling up of these technologies for industrial use.
Affiliations and expertise
Tsinghua University, China