Development of ceramic membranes based on Draa-Tafilalet clay for Malachite Green retention in water filtration

Development of ceramic membranes based on Draa-Tafilalet clay for Malachite Green retention in water filtration

Mohammed Chrachmy, Ayoub Souileh, Rajae Ghibate, Achraf Mabrouk, Mohamed Ech-Chykry, Anjoud Harmouzi, Najia El Hamzaoui, Meryem Ben Baaziz, Hassan Ouallal, Mohamed Azrour

Abstract. Water pollution by synthetic dyes such as Malachite Green (MG) poses a significant environmental challenge, particularly in developing countries. This study aims to create eco-friendly ceramic membranes from natural clay sourced from the Draa-Tafilalet region of Morocco to filtrate MG-contaminated water. The membranes were fabricated via a dry pressing method using varying proportions (0–12 wt%) of date palm pits as an organic pore-forming agent. The Physicochemical characterizations, revealed that increasing the additive content enhances membrane porosity while decreasing mechanical strength. With the optimal formulation identified at 6 wt% and sintering at 1000°C. The elaborated membrane was applied to the frontal microfiltration of MG dye solution. UV-Vis spectroscopic analysis confirmed high dye removal efficiency, with more than 70% retention after 200 minutes of filtration. Meanwhile, the permeate flow gradually decreased due to fouling, revealing a trade-off between filtration efficiency and flow rate. The results demonstrate that natural clay-based ceramic membranes, modified with agricultural waste, provide an environmentally friendly and cost-efficient approach for dye removal in water treatment systems.

Keywords
Clay, Ceramic Membrane, Draa-Tafilalet, Physicochemical Characterization, Water Filtration

Published online 1/10/2026, 8 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA

Citation: Mohammed Chrachmy, Ayoub Souileh, Rajae Ghibate, Achraf Mabrouk, Mohamed Ech-Chykry, Anjoud Harmouzi, Najia El Hamzaoui, Meryem Ben Baaziz, Hassan Ouallal, Mohamed Azrour, Development of ceramic membranes based on Draa-Tafilalet clay for Malachite Green retention in water filtration, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 58, pp 164-171, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644903933-22

The article was published as article 22 of the book Emerging Research in Materials for Environment, and Civil Infrastructure

Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.

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