Preparation and Characterization of Amorphous Silica Nanoparticles from Cassava Waste

Abstract

Agricultural wastes recycling has attracted researchers in order to reduce their undiscerning disposal to our environment which poses environmental challenges. Cassava is cultivated in large quantities by several developing countries, led by Nigeria, with lots of wastes generation. Cassava periderm (CP) is among the wastes generated in cassava processing industries. In this work, silica nanoparticles were produced from CP using a pyro-hydrometallurgical approach. Acid leaching followed CP sample preparation, calcination and lastly sol-gel. The silica nanoparticles obtained were characterised using SEM, EDS, XRD and PSA. The results showed an amorphous silica with Na, Al and P as impurities. The particle sizes were observed to be in nano-range but with agglomeration. Silica produced can be used in production of refined oil, detergents, adhesives as well as in pharmaceutical industry.