ABSTRACT
Ceramic membranes offer significant advantages of polymeric membranes in many applications where the last ones cannot withstand operating conditions (pH, temperature, chemicals, etc.). Indeed polymeric membranes are still cheaper to produce than ceramic membranes and are commercially available in a large range of polymeric materials and module geometry. Nevertheless, a technical and economical comparison between different membrane processes must take into account both investment and maintenance costs. Investment involves the cost of equipments for pretreatment and posttreatment of fluids in addition to the cost of the membrane plant. Maintenance includes replacement of membranes, electricity consumption, cleaning products, and labor costs. Accordingly, a comparison of overall costs, including membrane lifetime, cleaning procedures, and pretreatment requirements, may be in favor of inorganic membranes in a number of applications. Moreover, the technical progress made in the fabrication of ceramic membranes with production costs getting closer to those of many polymeric membranes explains why they are entering markets much broader than those accessible to the first generation of ceramic membranes.
