Extraction of Lignocellulose and Synthesis of Porous Silica Nanoparticles from Rice Husks: A Comprehensive Utilization of Rice Husk Biomass

Extraction of Lignocellulose and Synthesis of Porous Silica Nanoparticles from Rice Husks: A Comprehensive Utilization of Rice Husk Biomass

Rice husk (RH) biomass is a massive byproduct from rice milling. Applications of RHs have been very limited. Therefore, RHs are often considered as a biowaste. RHs are mainly composed of lignocellulose (ca. 72–85 wt %) and silica (ca. 15–28 wt %). The majority of previous explorations focused on the...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:ACS sustainable chemistry & engineering Vol. 1; no. 2; pp. 254 - 259
Main Authors: Chen, Haoran, Wang, Weixing, Martin, Jarett C, Oliphant, Adam J, Doerr, Paige A, Xu, Jeffery F, DeBorn, Katelyn M, Chen, Caixing, Sun, Luyi
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: American Chemical Society 04-02-2013
Subjects:
Rice husks
Lignocellulose
Silica
Comprehensive utilization
Ionic liquid
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Rice husk (RH) biomass is a massive byproduct from rice milling. Applications of RHs have been very limited. Therefore, RHs are often considered as a biowaste. RHs are mainly composed of lignocellulose (ca. 72–85 wt %) and silica (ca. 15–28 wt %). The majority of previous explorations focused on the preparation of silica or other silicon based materials from RHs, while the lignocellulose in RHs was usually burnt and thus wasted. Herein, an approach for comprehensive utilization of RHs has been developed to obtain both lignocellulose and high quality porous silica nanoparticles from RHs. Most of the lignocellulose in RHs was first extracted by dissolving in ionic liquids. The dissolved lignocellulose was subsequently separated and collected. The remaining RH residue after extraction that contains a high concentration of silica was thermally treated to synthesize amorphous porous silica nanoparticles with a high purity and surface area. It was also found that, during the extraction of lignocellulose using ionic liquids, some metal cations (e.g., K+) that generate negative effect for the synthesis of silica can be removed simultaneously, which generates a synergy for this comprehensive approach to make full use of RH biomass. The implication of the present findings is discussed.
ISSN:2168-0485
2168-0485
DOI:10.1021/sc300115r