Patent ID: 7575618

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a porous ceramic article comprising the steps of: compounding a ceramic extrusion batch comprising a base batch component, a reactive binder component, and an aqueous vehicle, the base batch component comprising inorganic constituents selected from the group consisting of oxides, compound oxides, metal compounds and mixtures thereof that react at high temperatures to produce a refractory ceramic oxide phase; the reactive binder component comprising a cellulose ether temporary binder and at least two other active binder constituents selected from the group of: (i) colloidal aluminas, (ii) carbohydrate pore formers, (iii) reactive high-charge-density linear binders, and (iv) chemical cross-linkers; plasticizing and forming the extrusion batch into a ceramic preform; heating the ceramic preform to initiate cross-linking reactions among the constituents of the reactive binder component and to remove water from the preform to provide a dried ceramic preform; and firing the dried ceramic preform to form a porous ceramic article from which the temporary binder, reactive binder, and carbohydrate pore former have been removed.