Abstract
Rice husk is an agricultural biomass waste. Burning rice husks in an oxygenic atmosphere releases thermal energy and produces ash that is rich in silica. Rice husk ash (RHA) can be used as a sustainable source of silica for producing high-value-added products. In this study, mesostructural graphene oxide (GO)/SBA-15, a graphene-based hybrid material, was synthesized from RHA. The materials are inspected by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, Raman spectrometer, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, surface area analyzer, and X-ray diffraction analyzer. Studies have revealed that GO/SBA-15 possesses various oxygen functional groups that are helpful for dye adsorption. The material consisted of high pore volume of 0.901 cm3/g, wide pores of diameter 11.67 nm, and high surface area of 499 m2/g. Analysis of the methylene blue (MB) adsorption behavior of GO/SBA-15 composites revealed that their adsorption capacity depended on the gelation pH, GO content, adsorbent dosage, and initial dye (MB) concentration. The highest adsorption capacity of GO/SBA-15 was 632.9 mg/g. Furthermore, the adsorption isotherms and kinetics of GO/SBA-15 were investigated. This study demonstrated the great advantage of treated RHA and the potential of this material for use in organic dye adsorption.
Highlights
We developed mesoporous nanocomposites by combining graphene oxide (GO) and Santa Barbara Amorphous (SBA)-15
GO was obtained using a modified Hummers method, and SBA-15 was synthesized from Rice husk ash (RHA) agricultural waste
Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) spectra indicated that Rice husks (RHs)-SBA-15 was chemically bonded to the GO flakes
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Biomass energy is a vital renewable energy source [1]. Rice husks (RHs) are residual products from the processing of rice in mills and are considered agricultural waste. RHs are a highly efficient thermal energy source and can be used to produce electricity [2]. RHs mainly comprise organic matter and ash. Burning RHs produces RH ash (RHA) (approximately one-fifth), which is rich in silica (approximately 98 wt.%) [3]
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