Amorphous silica production from Colombian rice husk: demonstration in scaled-up process Products
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Introduction: the agroindustry generates significant waste, posing environmental, health, and economic challenges. Among these, rice husk, a byproduct of the food industry, stands out due to its potential as a source of silicon. Due to its silicon content, rice husk offers a unique opportunity for sustainable energy production and the extraction of high-value products, such as amorphous silicon dioxide (SiO2). However, optimizing processes for its efficient conversion remains a challenge.
Objective: the aim of this study was to optimize the nitric acid concentration for the pretreatment of Colombian rice husk in order to produce high-purity amorphous SiO2 and demonstrate the feasibility of scaling up the process.
Methods: a two-stage process was developed, which involved treating rice husk with nitric acid, followed by calcination at 620 °C. The nitric acid concentration was optimized to achieve the highest SiO2 purity. Material characterization was performed using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and nitrogen adsorption-desorption. To assess the scalability of the process, the treatment was replicated on a larger scale using the optimized acid concentration.
Results: the optimized process using a nitric acid concentration of 0.2 M yielded amorphous SiO2 with a purity of 94.9% and a surface area of 298 m²/g. When scaled up, the process achieved SiO2 with a purity of 95.5%, confirming the feasibility of the methodology for industrial applications.
Conclusions: the treatment of rice husk with nitric acid followed by calcination proves to be an effective and scalable approach for producing high-purity amorphous SiO2. This process not only holds potential for industrial applications but also provides a sustainable solution for valorizing agroindustrial waste, contributing to the circular economy.
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Accepted 2024-09-30
Published 2024-11-08
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