Process for preparing a ceramic wick

A process for preparing a porous ceramic body, comprising the step of sequentially:

• (a) forming a first green body comprised of at least 60 weight of ceramic material, at least about 25 weight percent water, and from about 5 to about 40 weight percent of gluten, based on the total weight of ceramic material, water, and gluten, wherein:
• 1. at least about 70 weight percent of the particles of said ceramic material are from about 7 to about 20 microns in size and at least 15 weight percent of the particles of said ceramic material are less than about 7 microns in size, and
• 2. said first green body is a substantially homogeneous solid structure;
• (b) drying said first green body until it contains less than about 0.5 weight percent of water, thereby producing a first dried substrate;
• and
• (c) heating said first dried substrate to a temperature of from about 1,100 to about 3,200 degrees Fahrenheit until substantially all of said gluten has been removed from said first dried substrate and until a first fired body with a porosity of from about 5 to about 70 volume percent has been obtained.