TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - CERAMICS AND GLASS - Preferred Components: The ceramic comprises a non-ferrous material comprising oxygen attached to a noncarbonaceous element of magnesium, calcium, aluminum, boron, titanium, chromium and/or thorium. The ceramic is alumina, boehmite, pseudoboehmite, silica, titania, chromia, thoria and/or mullite. The ceramic-based greenware article contains water (0.1-10 wt.%). Preferred Composition: The ceramic-based gelled foam composition has a porosity of 60-95 vol.%. Preferred Process: The method of preparing (I) further comprises drying the gelled ceramic-based foam to form a ceramic-based greenware article; and firing the ceramic-based greenware article to form a calcined or sintered ceramic article. In the method of preparing article, the slurry is frothed by introducing in it a frothing agent of a gas comprising air, oxygen, nitrogen and/or carbon dioxide; and/or a gas-producing material comprising carbonates, urethanes and/or azides; and the gelled ceramic based foam is dried at 70-100 degrees C to form the ceramic-based greenware article. The firing is carried out at 300-2000 degrees C.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The ratio of the aldehyde to the albumin is 90:1-110:1 (preferably 100:1). The aldehyde is 1-10C monoaldehydes or 1-10C dialdehydes (formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propanal, butanal, pentanal, hexanal, heptanal, octanal, nonanal, decanal, glutaraldehyde (preferred), benzaldehyde, 3-oxo-propanoic acid and/or cyclohexanecarbaldehyde). EXAMPLE - A standard mullite formulation (200 g) (36.2% of kaolin, 45.5% of a transition alumina, 15.5% of Todd Dark ball clay, 2.3% of talc, and 0.47% of ferric oxide) was mixed with water (300 g), Methocel (RTM: Methyl cellulose) (20 g), nonionic surfactant (2 g), and commercial albumin (100 g). The slurry was homogenized, and then frothed for 15 minutes. The froth was then scooped and poured into a mold, and glutaraldehyde (1 g) was added and mixed for 15 seconds. After 5 minutes the foam gelled into a non-collapsing, set state without any loss of water. The wet-set foam was then dried to a greenware state and the greenware article was subsequently calcined at 1000 degrees C, to remove organics and to sinter at least a portion of the ceramic particles. The resulting article was a ceramic skeleton that retains the shape of the original froth, and exhibits 80-98 vol.% of porosity.