Preparation of siliceous lignin microparticles from wheat husks with a facile method

Abstract

In order to make full use of the agricultural byproducts from wheat production process, mesoporous siliceous lignin microparticles from wheat husks were synthesized with a facile method in this paper. The optimum conditions for the samples' formation were pH 2 in the presence of 2mol/L HCl and 90°C for 6h. The samples with various pore structures show an amorphous form with diameters of approximately 365nm and a specific surface area of 117.44m2/g. The sorption ability of the siliceous lignin microparticles towards heavy metal ions is much better than wheat husk soda lignin. Such siliceous lignin microparticles originating from wheat husks can be potentially used to decontaminate environmental objects.