Development and characterization of ceramic membranes from industrial waste‐derived cenospheres for wastewater treatment

Abstract Ceramic membranes were developed from industrial waste‐derived cenospheres using a low‐cost process that facilitates the efficient removal of methylene blue from aqueous systems. The fabrication strategy incorporated a controlled 100‐mesh sieving step, which promotes the homogeneous packing of the green body, narrows the particle size distribution, and supports a more predictable development of the pores during sintering. By uniaxial compaction, the disc‐shaped membranes were produced and thermally treated between 600 and 900°C which enabled evaluation of the phase evolution influenced by sintering temperature, microstructure, porosity, and separation performance. Comprehensive characterization using spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, electron microscopy, thermal analysis, and gravimetric porosity confirmed the formation of stable networks of aluminosilicate, complete burnout of organic constituents, and the development of hierarchical and interconnected pore structures under optimized conditions. Membranes sintered at 800°C demonstrated the most favourable balance of permeability and high‐water flux while consistently achieving 99.6% rejection of methylene blue under the transmembrane pressures of 10–60 kPa and feed concentrations between 10 and 100 mg L −1 . In contrast, densification‐induced pore closure is observed in membranes sintered at 900°C, exhibiting a reduction in both permeability and rejection efficiency. The results highlight the critical roles of particle size control and thermal optimization in tailoring membrane architecture and separation behaviour. The approach establishes a scalable, circular economy pathway for producing waste‐derived robust ceramic membranes for treating dye‐laden wastewater.