Effect of Rice Starch Content on Tubular Alumina Membrane Support Fabricated by Agar Gelcasting

This study addresses the challenge of fabricating cost-effective tubular ceramic membranes through agar gelcasting. The addition of rice starch as the pore-forming agent in the ceramic membrane support layer, with varying contents from 0 to 6 wt%, was focused on improving the permeability of the tubular ceramic membrane. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the co-existence of large pores from starch decomposition and small pores in the form of interparticle voids. When the rice starch was enhanced, the firing shrinkage and apparent porosity increased, and the bulk density decreased. Notably, the tubular ceramic membranes with 6 wt% of the rice starch addition exhibited a permeability of 0.17 Lh⁻¹m⁻²bar⁻¹ under a pressure of 2.5 bar.