Ramzi H. HarharahEbrahim MahmoudiNur Ameera RosliNili Mastura MunirAlireza NouriWei Lun AngAbdul Wahab MohammadHamed N. HarharahNg law Yong2025-10-062025-10-062025-1010.1016/j.ceramint.2025.06.398https://dspace-cris.utar.edu.my/handle/123456789/11450Water filtration technologies are critical for providing clean water and mitigating environmental contamination. Graphene-coated ceramic membranes have gained significant attention due to their exceptional properties and potential applications in water filtration. However, achieving durable and stable graphene coatings on ceramic membranes remains challenging, primarily due to poor adhesion, coating delamination, and degradation under harsh operational conditions. This study introduces a novel approach for coating alumina ceramic membranes with stable graphene layer utilizing sugar molasses as a sustainable carbon precursor along with graphene oxide (GO) as nucleation sites during an in situ thermal graphitization process. Characterization using XRD, Raman, FESEM and EDX confirmed the successful transformation of GO/molasses and the formation of a dense, uniform graphene-like layer with improved surface morphology and reduced defects. The results showed that molasses-derived graphene coatings demonstrated excellent physical and chemical resistance, showing minimal degradation under aqueous and chemical stability tests, particularly at higher molasses concentrations. Performance testing revealed that graphene-coated ceramic membranes from GO/molasses exhibited significantly improved humic acid rejection, increasing from 3 % for the uncoated membrane and reaching up to 49 % for the M20 membrane, while maintaining reasonable water flux. This improved selectivity was consistent with a substantial reduction in average pore radius from 348 nm for the uncoated membrane to as low as 55 nm for the M20 membrane, proving the role of molasses in forming a denser and more selective graphene layer. This study shows the potential of this novel in situ thermal graphitization method utilizing molasses to develop high-performance, sustainable, and stable graphene-coated ceramic membranes for advanced filtration and water treatment applications, while also paving the way for diverse environmental and industrial applications beyond water treatment. © 2025enCeramic membraneGraphene coatingIn situ thermal graphitizationSugar molassesAluminaChemical stabilityCoatingsEnvironmental technologyGrapheneGraphitizationMicrofiltrationMolassesMorphologySurface defectsSurface morphologyWater filtrationWater treatmentClean watersFiltration technologiesGraphene coatingsGraphene layersGraphene oxidesGraphenesPerformanceSugar molassThermal graphitizationCeramic membranesjournal-article