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Amorphous nano-silica from sugarcane bagasse ash – process optimization, characterization, and sustainability analysis

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Abstract

Valorization of nano-silica from sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA), a major by-product from the sugarcane processing industry, was studied using sequential alkali extraction and acid precipitation methods. Three acid pretreatments and acid precipitation, viz., HCl (NS-C), HNO3 (NS-N), and H2SO4 (NS-S), were used to optimize the process for maximum extraction of silica. In addition, alkali extraction was performed using 1 M NaOH before acid precipitation. Nano-silica recovery efficiency of 45–57% was observed for the three approaches, with NS-C exhibiting the highest recovery rate of 0.35 g/g. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) depicted irregularly shaped NS particles due to agglomeration. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) confirmed the presence of functionalities with characteristic peaks of Si–O-Si asymmetrical stretching and bending vibration at 1072 cm−1 and 617 cm−1, respectively. X-ray diffraction (XRD) demonstrated the amorphous nature of NS, with a surface area ranging from 192 (NS-N) to 473 m2/g (NS-C). Post-extraction showed a rise in carbon percentage and a decrease in oxygen fraction. NS-C resulted in a size of 3.96 nm and a specific surface area of 473.6 m2/g, which is suitable for a wide range of applications including pharmaceutical. From the life cycle assessment (LCA: ISO 14044), GWP (global warming potential) for NS-N resulted in higher CO2 eq of 12.59 kg, followed by NS-C (12.4 CO2 eq) and NS-S (7.51 CO2 eq). Overall, this research was designed as a low-cost and sustainable process with minimal chemical and energy inputs, aligning with the principles of circular bio-economy.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the Director, CSIR-IICT, for the support and encouragement in carrying out the current research work (IICT/Pubs./2023/235).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bioengineering and Environmental Sciences (BEES) Lab, Department of Energy and Environmental Engineering, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT), Hyderabad, 500007, India

    Vishnuvardhan Mamidi, Ranaprathap Katakojwala & S. Venkata Mohan

  2. Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India

    Ranaprathap Katakojwala & S. Venkata Mohan

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  1. Vishnuvardhan Mamidi
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Contributions

Dr. S. Venkata Mohan: conceptualization, research methodology, supervision, and original draft preparation. Vishnuvardhan Mamidi: research methodology, experiment work, and original draft preparation. Ranaprathap Katakojwala: research methodology and original draft preparation.

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Correspondence to S. Venkata Mohan.

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Highlights

• Sugarcane bagasse ash showed potential feedstock for nano-silica production.

• The sol-gel process was used to produce amorphous nano-silica.

• The acid pretreatment method showed maximum recovery of nano-silica.

• NS-C with a pore diameter of 3.96 nm and surface area of 473.6 m2/g.

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Mamidi, V., Katakojwala, R. & Mohan, S.V. Amorphous nano-silica from sugarcane bagasse ash – process optimization, characterization, and sustainability analysis. Biomass Conv. Bioref. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-024-05548-8

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