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Removal of synthetic and toothpaste derived microplastics from wastewater using low-cost fuller's earth and bagasse ash ceramic membrane
Summary
Researchers fabricated low-cost ceramic membranes from fuller's earth clay and sugarcane bagasse ash and demonstrated greater than 95–99.5% removal efficiency for a composite of nine polymer types including PE, PS, PET, PVC, and nylon, with the membrane also successfully separating microplastics from toothpaste-derived wastewater at a material cost of roughly $53 per square meter.
This study reports on the fabrication and evaluation of sustainable ceramic membranes made from Indian-based fuller's earth clay (FEC) with agricultural waste sugarcane bagasse ash (SBA), offering a solution for the removal of microplastics (MPs), such as a composite solution containing PE, PS, PET, PU, PVC, nylon, PA, LDPE, and PP samples. The raw materials (FEC and SBA) were characterized by XRD, SEM-EDS, and other techniques. Laboratory-synthesized MPs, produced by probe sonification to mimic environmental particles, were filtered using the membrane in dead-end filtration setups. Membrane performance was evaluated using permeate flux analysis, fouling studies, SEM-EDS imaging, and FTIR spectroscopy of the filtered MPs. The fabricated membrane achieved high removal efficiencies (>95%-99.5%) across applied pressures of 0.35-1.72 bar for composite MPs and PP MPs, while successfully separating PP and PE MPs present in toothpaste-derived wastewaters. The membranes maintained their structure and functionality post-filtration, making them reusable. These low-cost ceramic membranes (53.19 $/m 2 ) are economically feasible compared with commercial alternatives. A gravimetric mass balance closed at 99.8 ± 0.2% across all operating pressures, confirming quantitative capture and recovery of MPs by the fabricated membrane. This approach, i.e., low-cost ceramic membranes fabricated from clay-ash materials, can effectively remove MPs from various wastewater sources, supporting ecological restoration from MP pollution. • A low-cost porous ceramic membrane made from Fuller’s Earth Clay at 850 °C. • The membrane showed high porosity and chemical stability for MP removal. • Lab-made and toothpaste MPs were effectively removed with high rejection and stable flux. • Fouling analysis showed primarily reversible surface fouling after repeated cleaning cycles. • A scalable, resource-efficient membrane was produced for MP removal from cosmetic wastewater.