Review of Sustainable Ceramic Membranes for Wastewater Treatment: Raw Materials, Fabrication, and Applications

The development of affordable and sustainable ceramic membranes derived from naturally abundant minerals and waste-generated materials has attracted increasing research attention as a strategy to address these challenges. This review provides a comprehensive and critical evaluation of recent advances in the design and fabrication of economic ceramic membranes using raw materials such as clays, natural minerals, industrial by-products, and agricultural wastes, including fly ash and rice husk ash. Particular emphasis is placed on the influence of material composition, pore-forming agents, additives, and sintering conditions on membrane microstructure, porosity, permeability, and mechanical performance. Furthermore, integrated assessment of natural and waste-derived precursors as sustainable alternatives to conventional ceramic materials, along with emerging energy-efficient fabrication approaches that enhance the economic feasibility of large-scale production. Finally, we identifying current technical challenges, barriers to industrial implementation, and future research directions necessary to advance the next generation of sustainable, high-performance ceramic membranes for water and wastewater treatment applications