Synthesis and characterization of amorphous mesoporous silica from palm kernel shell ash

This study synthesized and characterized amorphous mesoporous silica from palm kernel shell ash. Sol-gel synthesis technique was used to produce the amorphous mesoporous silica from palm kernel shell ash. Silica is an affordable material with numerous applications including glass production, electronics and polymer materials, drug delivery and energy storage. It has been manufactured from different agricultural bio-resources with limited research on palm kernel shell ash (PKSA). The synthesized amorphous mesoporous silica was characterized using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) techniques, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX). The XRD patterns reveal the amorphous nature of the extracted amorphous silica, EDX confirmed the presence of SiO2, while FTIR analysis shows the existence of silanol and siloxane groups. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) indicate presence of physically adsorbed and chemically bound water. Silica yield after synthesis was 96.83%. This success means decreases in environmental contamination caused by indiscriminate disposal of palm kernel shell (PKS) and amorphous silica for advanced material applications including glass and ceramics, drug delivery.