Ceramic membranes synthesized using fly ash pulp and paper boiler for COD and BOD removal from river

Industrial developments and settlements along the Siak River have affected the quality of the river water. Based on laboratory tests, the COD and BOD content of Siak River water still exceeds the standard set under Government Regulation No. 22 of 2021. This research was conducted to analyze the role of variations in the composition and size of materials of clay, fly ash, and sawdust, in synthesizing ceramic membranes for COD and BOD removal of Siak River water. These residual materials from pulp and paper industry were used for ceramic membranes synthesis and further applied in drinking water treatment. In this study, ceramic membranes with a diameter of 11 cm, a thickness of 0.5 cm, and a combustion temperature of 900 °C were obtained and the composition of clay, fly ash, and sawdust of the ceramic membranes was varied in terms of ratio, respectively, at 32.5%:60%:7.5%, 45%:45%:10%, and 70%:25%:5%. Meanwhile, the variations in the size of the materials were as follows: 60, 80, and 100 mesh. The obtained results have shown that the COD and BOD content of Siak River water was reduced during the filtration process using the ceramic membranes, with the greatest percentage reductions in COD and BOD content (48.9% and 64.6%, respectively). The highest removals percentage were recorded upon using the ceramic membrane M8 (with a composition of 60% fly ash, 32.5% clay, 7.5% sawdust and particle size of 100 mesh). This result indicated that the ceramic membranes can be effectively used for the targeted application.