CPC B28B 1/001 (2013.01) [B01D 69/10 (2013.01); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 30/00 (2014.12); B33Y 70/00 (2014.12); B33Y 80/00 (2014.12); C04B 35/46 (2013.01); C04B 35/6365 (2013.01); C04B 35/63488 (2013.01); C04B 38/0054 (2013.01); C04B 38/0074 (2013.01); C04B 2235/3232 (2013.01); C04B 2235/5436 (2013.01); C04B 2235/5445 (2013.01); C04B 2235/665 (2013.01)] | 12 Claims |
1. A method for manufacturing a monolithic inorganic porous support for a tangential filtration membrane, in which is arranged a channel for the circulation of a fluid medium to be treated, comprising:
providing a 3D printing machine having an extrusion head movably mounted in space relative to, and above, a fixed horizontal plate;
providing the 3D printing machine with an inorganic composition comprising a powdery inorganic phase and a matrix that form a paste;
wherein the inorganic phase comprises particles having an average diameter of from 0.1 μm to 150 μm;
depositing, stratum by stratum, a string of the inorganic composition onto the plate, and building a manipulable and three-dimensional green structure with the string based on a 3D digital model;
wherein each stratum is a set of strings extruded at the same altitude relative to the plate in accordance with the 3D digital model predefined for said altitude;
accelerating a consolidation of the green structure by evaporating a solvent contained in the matrix with a convective or radiative consolidation device, as the string is extruded, and in accordance with the 3D digital model;
sintering the green structure at a temperature that is from 0.5 to 1.0 times the melting temperature of material forming the powdery solid inorganic phase, to form the support;
wherein the support has an interconnected open porosity of from 10% to 50%,
wherein the support has an average pore diameter of from 0.5 μm to 50 μm; and
wherein the support is able to withstand an internal pressure of at least 30 bars without bursting.
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