Method of producing a high-flow ceramic water filter coated with Anti-microbial oxide

Abstract

The invention provides a method for fabricating high-flow ceramic water filters with antimicrobial properties. The process involves preparing a ceramic suspension using mining waste, red clay, limestone, cassava starch, and a dispersing agent. The suspension is cast into dome-shaped metal molds, heated to gelatinize the starch, and thermally treated to create a porous ceramic matrix with about 57% apparent porosity and 4 MPa flexural strength. The porous filter is coated with a metal-doped ferrite oxide (e.g., Cu0.7Co0.3Fe2O4) to impart antimicrobial properties while maintaining high flow rates between 12 to 24 liters per hour. The filters effectively reduce turbidity to 0.14–4 NTU, maintain pH levels of 6.9–8.8, and eliminate microbial contaminants, including Escherichia coli and fecal coliforms. This cost effective method utilizes locally available raw materials, is scalable for industrial production, and is applicable for domestic and industrial water purification systems.