Patent ID: 8741210

Claim:
A method for making a porous ceramic article comprising the steps of: mixing inorganic batch ingredients with a liquid and an organic binder to form a plasticized batch mixture, the inorganic batch ingredients comprising sources of magnesia, silica, alumina and lithia, wherein the lithia source comprises one or more lithium-containing compounds, wherein the magnesia source comprises one or more magnesium-containing compounds, and wherein the magnesia source constitutes less than 25 wt % of the inorganic batch ingredients; forming the plasticized batch mixture into a green body; and heating the green body to a top temperature of 1180 to 1260° C. for a time sufficient to convert the green body into the porous ceramic article, the article being comprised of a principal phase of beta-spodumene and a minor phase of cordierite; and wherein the beta-spodumene and cordierite phases together constitute more than 80% by weight of the body, and further wherein the body contains less than 4 wt % glass.