In this work, ceramic filters were used for aerosol filtration. The filters were constituted by two layers, where the first layer was formed by of a highly porous ceramic support with controlled pore size and the second layer constituted by a fine membrane. The ceramic support was obtained from polymeric foams utilizing a technique of alumina impregnation. The supports had 45 and 75 pores per inch (ppi). The membrane (a mixture of alumina and clay) was the same for the two supports, with much smaller pore sizes. The filtration experiments were accomplished at temperatures varying from 25 to 700 ºC, where the ability of the filters for cleaning an aerosol constituted by fine particles (median diameter of 4.6 µm) was measured. The collection efficiency was calculated for particle diameters between 0.4 and 8.5 µm. The results showed that the collection efficiency decreased with the increase of the temperature and increased with particle diameter.
filtration; ceramic filters; collection efficiency; aerosol
