Characterization of Hydrogel and Fly Ash from Biomass

Abstract

This study aims to produce an efficient adsorbent derived from 4 different biomass and to study the characterization of blending hydrogel from 4 different biomass. Type of material used to produce biochar is corn husk(CH), rice husk(RH), sugarcane bagasse(SB), and sawdust(SW). These four materials are blending with fly ash with different ratios. For hydrogel preparation, Acrylamide (AAm) is used as the monomer, N, N’ – methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinker, and ammonium persulfate (APS) as an initiator. This hydrogel – biochar is then characterized by Brunauer – Emmet – Teller (BET) surface area analysis, Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), and swelling test analysis. Seven samples are analyzed for each raw material: fly ash hydrogel(FA) and corn husk hydrogel. For example like SW: FA (1.0:0), SW: FA (0.8:0.2), SW: FA (0.6:0.4), SW: FA (0.5:0.5), SW: FA (0.4:0.6), SW:FA (02:08) and lastly SW:FA (0:1.0). Repeated with the same ratio for the other biomasses. For BET surface area analysis, samples with large surface areas and high pore volumes are suitable for the adsorbent. SW: FA (0.8:0.2) has the largest surface area, which is 6.9966 m2/g, while the total pore volume is the highest compared to the other samples. In a proximate analysis, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) determined the moisture content, ash content, fixed carbon content, and volatile matter content. A sample with the high volatile matter, high carbon content, and low ash content is more economically attractive. Sample of SW :FA (0.8:0.2) has high moisture content, fixed carbon, volatile matter, and has the lowest ash content among all. All the samples showed a positive impact on the swelling test. Therefore, a sample of SW: FA (0.8:0.2) is the best and suitable to use as an adsorbent.