Journal Article

Synthesis, Optimization and Characterization of Silica from Sugar Cane Bagasse and Rice Husk

Abstract

Silica was synthesized from Sugar cane bagasse and rice husk (Agricultural wastes). The pretreated samples were ashed and reacted with sodium hydroxide to produce sodium silicate from which silica was precipitated using Tetraoxosulphate (VI) acid. The optimum yield of silica from sugar cane bagasse was obtained at ashing temperature of 700 OC, ashing time of 2 hours, sodium hydroxide concentration of 4M, reaction temperature of 100 OC and reaction time of 2 hours. For the rice husk, the optimum parameters at which the optimum yield of silica was recorded are: Ashing temperature and ashing time of 700 OC and 3 hours respectively. For the reaction parameters which are: sodium hydroxide concentration, reaction temperature and reaction time, the optimum values were 3M, 100 OC and 3 hours respectively. The yield of silica from sugar cane bagasse at optimum conditions was 37.4% while that of rice husk was 66.3 %. The characterization of sugar cane bagasse ash, rice husk ash and the final silica obtained from both ashes all at optimum conditions were done using X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The result of the characterization indicated that sugarcane bagasse ash contains 64.01 % silica oxide (SiO2) while rice husk ash contains 91.02 % silica oxide. The final silica precipitated from the sugar cane bagasse ash contains 99.03 % silica oxide while that from rice husk ash was 99.15 % oxide. These results indicated that significant quantity of amorphous silica can be successfully produced from rice husk and sugar cane bagasse.

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