Reutilization of Ash Waste for Development of Enhanced Membrane Technology

The implementation of “Zero waste manufacturing” concept is crucial in promoting a country’s circular economy, mitigating environmental risks, and fostering a cleaner environment through recycling of wastes materials i.e. ash into valuable products. This review aims to explore the deliberate utilization of ash derived from coal, municipal solid waste, biomass-fired power plants and incinerators. The prevalent practice of ash disposal holds several disadvantages: consuming valuable land resources, increasing cost management while posing significant environmental and health-related threats. This study endeavors to establish a sustainable approach for utilization of ash waste within the domain of membrane technology, urging power producers to address emerging challenges associated with ash waste through adopting a sustainable paradigm model, including recycling. From a technical standpoint, this review primarily focuses on the utilization of ash waste as a promising raw material for the fabrication of ceramic and geopolymer membranes. Emphasizing the role of ash in membrane fabrication as an inorganic filler, it delineates additional properties like adsorption and photocatalytic, conferred upon the membrane. Supported by an exhaustive literature survey encompassing over 150 published results from 2018 onwards, this review unequivocally demonstrates the efficient utilization of ash waste in membrane fabrication in substituting expensive pure raw materials, while retaining its structural integrity and performance capabilities. This can offer a significant alternative within the membrane industry. An additional country’s circular economic model for ash waste development in membrane technology was proposed to promote the concept of zero waste, aligning with Malaysia’s aim for zero carbon emission by 2050.