Filtration of 1.5 um fraction of inorganic particle suspensions (silica) on the tubular ceramic membrane under turbulent flow conditions was evaluated in this study. Substantial irreversible fouling (not removed hydrodynamically) was observed with colloidal suspensions having a mean particle diameter larger than the nominal pore size of the membrane. Furthermore, the amount of mass deposited is larger than the amount of mass that was recuperated by fast flushing the membrane. The resistance of the membrane caused by the deposited material that was not removed by fast flushing was observed to be independent of the amount of mass retained on the membrane surface, also independent of the applied suspension concentration. The removal of particles was observed to increase with increasing permeation rates. Particle removals were observed to be largely independent of the applied particle concentration. Due to the amphoteric nature of the ceramic membranes, pH may be an important variable in determining the fouling and rejection characteristics of these membranes.