Low-temperature sintered high-strength CuO doped ceramic hollow fiber membrane: Preparation, characterization and catalytic activity

A copper oxide (CuO) doped alumina ceramic hollow fiber membrane was fabricated via combined phase-inversion and liquid-phase sintering technique at low sintering temperature, with the purpose to enhance the flexural strength and reduce the preparation cost. The effect of CuO contents on the microstructure and properties of the ceramic hollow fiber membrane was systematically investigated. The results showed that the 3 wt% CuO doped ceramic hollow fiber membrane sintered at 1250 degrees C for 2 h displayed a maximum flexural strength (116.78 MPa), which was more than 3 times higher than that of control membrane without CuO addition. The 3 wt% CuO doped ceramic hollow fiber membrane exhibited a porosity of 34.6%, mean pore size of 700 nm and pure water flux of 1255 L m(-2) h(-1) bar(-1). Furthermore, the catalytic performance of CuO doped ceramic hollow fiber membrane was investigated. With RhB as a model compound, it was shown that as high as 81.5% of degradation efficiency could be achieved by the 3 wt% CuO doped membrane in the combined peroxyrnonosulfate/membrane filtration system within 60 min. The CuO doped ceramic hollow fiber membrane displayed an excellent reusability in multicycle catalytic experiment and superior catalytic performance for various refractory organic pollutants.