Development and evaluation of environmentally sustainable cenosphere ceramic membrane for the efficient separation of methylene blue dye

Textile wastewater, which often contains dye contamination and other pollutants, can harm and detrimental effects on the environment. In this research, the characteristics of circular disc-shaped ceramic membranes were investigated by fabricating them and studying the impact of sintering temperature. The sintering process of membranes was conducted at four different temperatures ranging 600–900 °C. The membranes were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, field emission scanning electron microscopy, zeta potential, and X-ray diffraction. The constructed membranes displayed remarkable chemical stability in both acidic and basic solutions. They exhibited porosity ranging from 15.44 to 28.22% and an average pore size ranging from 0.416 to 4.32 µm. The membranes were sintered at 700 °C showed highest permeability, with a range of 0.04412 to 0.13628 L/h m² for transmembrane pressures of 0.5 to 4 bar, respectively. These membranes demonstrated potential for effective separation of dye methylene blue. The surface of membrane exhibited a negative charge between pH 3 and pH 11, indicating that adsorption was primary mechanism for removal of cationic dye. At a pressure of 0.5 bar, the efficiency of dye removal decreased from 99.61% at a feed concentration of 10 mg/L to 99.37% at 100 mg/L. The experiment design and analysis were examined and optimized transmembrane pressure, feed concentration, flux, and rejection using response surface methodology via central composite design. This study highlights the excellent potential of these membranes for textile dye treatment and various other membrane-based applications.