Extraction of Silica from Different Sources of Agricultural Waste

Disposal and burning of biomass-derived from relevant agricultural waste indiscriminately pollutes the environment and increases greenhouse gas emissions. Researchers have been exploring the “waste to wealth creation” policy due to the renewable nature and availability of agricultural wastes. In this study, agricultural wastes (groundnut shell (K), walnut shell (G), and wood carpentry waste (N)) were investigated for potential use in silica production. Initially, to obtain the ash, the samples were burned. The chemical method was then used to extract fine powder silica in the nanoscopic range using a simple bottom-up approach. To confirm the results, the samples were examined by XRD, SEM with EDX, and FT-IR, which were used to analyze the extracted silica nanoparticles. The isolated silica nanoparticles have a unit size of 9 – 30 nm, according to microstructural examination. EDX verified the presence of SiO2 in the sample. FT-IR analysis also reveals the presence of siloxane group.