A review on recent advances in the comprehensive application of rice husk ash

Ashes from challenging fuels in the circular economy

In line with the objectives of the circular economy, the conversion of waste streams to useful and valuable side streams is a central goal. Ash represents one of the main industrial side-products, and using ashes in other than the present landfilling applications is, therefore, a high priority. This paper reviews the properties and utilization of ashes of different biomass power plants and waste incinerations, with a focus on the past decade. Possibilities for ash utilization are of uttermost importance in terms of circular economy and disposal of landfills. However, considering its applicability, ash originating from the heat treatment of chemically complex fuels, such as biomass and waste poses several challenges such as high heavy metal content and the presence of toxic and/or corrosive species. Furthermore, the physical properties of the ash might limit its usability. Nevertheless, numerous studies addressing the utilization possibilities of challenging ash in various applications have been carried out over the past decade. This review, with over 300 references, surveys the field of research, focusing on the utilization of biomass and municipal solid waste (MSW) ashes. Also, metal and phosphorus recovery from different ashes is addressed. It can be concluded that the key beneficial properties of the ash types addressed in this review are based on their i) alkaline nature suitable for neutralization reactions, ii) high adsorption capabilities to be used in CO2 capture and waste treatment, and iii) large surface area and appropriate chemical composition for the catalyst industry. Especially, ashes rich in Al2O3 and SiO2 have proven to be promising alternative catalysts in various industrial processes and as precursors for synthetic zeolites.

Plant-based calcium silicate from rice husk ash: A green adsorbent for free fatty acid recovery from waste frying oil

Driven by the urgent need for a solution to tackle the surge of rice husk (RH) and waste frying oil (WFO) waste accumulation at a global scale, this report highlights the use of calcium silicates (CS) extracted from acid-pre-treated rice husk ash (RHA) for free fatty acid (FFA) removal from WFO as conventional RHA shows limited FFA adsorption performance. A novel alkaline earth silicate extraction method from acid-pre-treated RHA was outlined. The structural and behavioural attributes of the synthesised CS were identified through BET, SEM-EDS, and XRD analyses and compared to those of RHA. Notable morphology and structural modification were determined, including reducing specific surface areas, mitigating from amorphous to crystalline structure with regular geometric forms, and detecting Si-O-Ca functional groups exclusive to CS adsorbents. A comparison study showed superior lauric acid (LA) adsorption performance by CS absorbents over acid-pre-treated RHA, with a significant increase from 0.0831 ± 0.0004 mmol LA/g to 2.5808 ± 0.0011 mmol LA/g after 60 min. Recognised as the best-performing CS adsorbent, CS-1.0 was used for further investigations on the effect of dosage, LA concentration, and temperature for efficient LA adsorption, with up to 100% LA removal and 5.6712 ± 0.0016 mmol LA/g adsorption capacity. The adsorption isotherm and kinetic studies showed LA adsorption onto CS-1.0 followed Freundlich isotherm with KF = 0.0598 mmol(1-1/n) L(1/n) g-1 & Qe,cal = 3.1696 mmol g-1 and intraparticle diffusion model with kid = 0.1250 mmol g-1 min0.5 & Ci = 0.9625 mmol g-1, indicating rapid initial adsorption and involvement of carboxylate end of LA and the calcium ions on the CS-1.0 in the rate-limiting step. The high equilibrium adsorption capacity and LA adsorption rate indicated that the proposed CS-1.0 adsorbent has excellent potential to recover FFA from WFO effectively.

Rice husk waste into various template-engineered mesoporous silica materials for different applications: A comprehensive review on recent developments

Following the discovery of Stöber silica, the realm of morphology-controlled mesoporous silica nanomaterials like MCM-41, SBA-15, and KCC-1 has been expanded. Due to their high BET surface area, tunable pores, easiness of functionalization, and excellent thermal and chemical stability, these materials take part a vital role in the advancement of techniques and technologies for tackling the world's largest challenges in the area of water and the environment, energy storage, and biotechnology. Synthesizing these materials with excellent physicochemical properties from cost-efficient biomass wastes is a foremost model of sustainability. Particularly, SiO₂ with a purity >98% can be obtained from rice husk (RH), one of the most abundant biomass wastes, and can be template engineered into various forms of mesoporous silica materials in an economic and eco-friendly way. Hence, this review initially gives insight into why to valorize RH into value-added silica materials. Then the thermal, chemical, hydrothermal, and biological methods of high-quality silica extraction from RH and the principles of synthesis of mesoporous and fibrous mesoporous silica materials like SBA-15, MCM-41, MSNs, and KCC-1 are comprehensively discussed. The potential applications of rice husk-derived mesoporous silica materials in catalysis, drug delivery, energy, adsorption, and environmental remediation are explored. Finally, the conclusion and the future outlook are briefly highlighted.

Rice husk ash addition to acid red soil improves the soil property and cotton seedling growth

Red soil is characterized by poor physico-chemical properties and low nutrient availability. The present study aimed to examine rich husk ash (RHA) incorporation into red soil at various rates effects on its properties and the growth of cotton seedlings under a plug-seeding in tray experiment. Bulk density was decreased, and water holding capacity and total porosity were increased in red soil with increasing application rate of RHA. The addition of RHA counteracts the acidity of red soil and improves the nutrient availability to plants. The RHA incorporated soils favored the growth of cotton seedlings with improved shoot morphological traits and root architectures. The application rate at a volume ratio of 1:1 of RHA to red soil was found to be optimal for growing cotton seedlings in the present study. The mixture of RHA and red soil at a 1:1 volume ratio plus 2 g L⁻¹ super absorbent polymers exhibited a high nursing seedling efficiency comparable to a commercial growing media under the condition of foliar application of mepiquat chloride at the one-true-leaf stage. RHA can be a promising substitute for peat as growing media for nursing cotton seedlings.

Preparation, Characterization and Antimicrobial Properties of Nanosized Silver-Containing Carbon/Silica Composites from Rice Husk Waste

Rice husk, one of the main side products in the rice production, and its sustainable management represent a challenge in many countries. Herein, we describe the use of this abundant agricultural bio-waste as feedstock for the preparation of silver-containing carbon/silica nano composites with antimicrobial properties. The synthesis was performed using a fast and cheap methodology consisting of wet impregnation followed by pyrolysis, yielding C/SiO2 composite materials doped with varying amounts of silver from 28 to 0.001 wt %. The materials were fully characterized and their antimicrobial activity against ESKAPE pathogens, namely E. faecium, S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, A. baumannii, P. aeruginosa, and E. coli, and the pathogenic yeast C. albicans was investigated. Sensitivities of these strains against the prepared materials were demonstrated, even with exceptional low amounts of 0.015 m% silver. Hence, we report a straightforward method for the synthesis of antimicrobial agents from abundant sources which addresses urgent questions like bio-waste valorization and affordable alternatives to increasingly fewer effective antibiotics.

Rice Husk Ash-Based Concrete Composites: A Critical Review of Their Properties and Applications

In the last few decades, the demand for cement production increased and caused a massive ecological issue by emitting 8% of the global CO2, as the making of 1 ton of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) emits almost a single ton of CO2. Significant air pollution and damage to human health are associated with the construction and cement industries. Consequently, environmentalists and governments have ordered to strongly control emission rates by using other ecofriendly supplemental cementing materials. Rice husk is a cultivated by-product material, obtained from the rice plant in enormous quantities. With no beneficial use, it is an organic waste material that causes dumping issues. Rice husk has a high silica content that makes it appropriate for use in OPC; burning it generates a high pozzolanic reactive rice husk ash (RHA) for renewable cement-based recyclable material. Using cost-effective and commonly obtainable RHA as mineral fillers in concrete brings plentiful advantages to the technical characteristics of concrete and to ensure a clean environment. With RHA, concrete composites that are robust, highly resistant to aggressive environments, sustainable and economically feasible can be produced. However, the production of sustainable and greener concrete composites also has become a key concern in the construction industries internationally. This article reviews the source, clean production, pozzolanic activity and chemical composition of RHA. This literature review also provides critical reviews on the properties, hardening conditions and behaviors of RHA-based concrete composites, in addition to summarizing the research recent findings, to ultimately produce complete insights into the possible applications of RHA as raw building materials for producing greener concrete composites—all towards industrializing ecofriendly buildings.

Plant-derived silica nanoparticles and composites for biosensors, bioimaging, drug delivery and supercapacitors: a review

Silica nanoparticles have rapidly found applications in medicine, supercapacitors, batteries, optical fibers and concrete materials, because silica nanoparticles have tunable physical, chemical, optical and mechanical properties. In most applications, high-purity silica comes from synthetic organic precursors, yet this approach could be costly, polluting and non-biocompatible. Alternatively, natural silica sources from biomass are often cheap and abundant, yet they contain impurities. Silica can be extracted from corn cob, coffee husk, rice husk, sugarcane bagasse and wheat husk wastes, which are often disposed of in rivers, lands and ponds. These wastes can be used to prepare homogenous silica nanoparticles. Here we review properties, preparation and applications of silica nanoparticles. Preparation includes chemical and biomass methods. Applications include biosensors, bioimaging, drug delivery and supercapacitors. In particular, to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, recent research has shown that silver nanocluster/silica deposited on a mask reduces SARS-Cov-2 infectivity to zero.

Reutilization of silicon- and aluminum- containing wastes in the perspective of the preparation of SiO2-Al2O3 based porous materials for adsorbents and catalysts

The waste materials available as sources of silicon and aluminum for producing porous materials like amorphous silicas, aluminas, amorphous silica-aluminas, and zeolites, to be used as catalyst and adsorbents, are briefly summarized. The procedures for preparing these materials from wastes are also taken into account. The limits of this approach in terms of economy and environmental protection are also briefly considered. It is concluded that mesoporous materials can be prepared from wastes, but care to product quality and to overall process efficiency is needed.

Surface Treatment Effects on the Mechanical Properties of Silica Carbon Black Reinforced Natural Rubber/Butadiene Rubber Composites

For the first time, phenolic formaldehyde resin (PF)-treated silica carbon black (SiCB) were prepared with different treatment conditions and their effect as fillers on the mechanical properties of filler filled natural rubber/butadiene rubber (NR/BR) composites were investigated in detail. The PF coating layer on the SiCB derived from rusk husk not only promoted the dispersion of the fillers but also improved the interfacial interactions between fillers and the rubber matrix. As a result, both the cross-link density and mechanical properties of the obtained composites were effectively enhanced. The filler SiCB with 3 wt % PF surface treatment greatly improved the tensile strength of NR/BR composites and reached 7.1 MPa, which increased by 73.7% compared with that of SiCB-filled NR/BR composites. The improved interfacial interactions promoted higher energy dissipation, leading to simultaneously enhancing the glass transition temperature of the obtained composites. Due to the easy processing and low cost of filler as well as the effectively enhanced mechanical properties of composites, the PF-coating methodology has a great potential for practical applications in SiCB reinforced high-performance composites. A commercial filler, carbon black (N774), was also used in this study and evaluated under the same conditions for comparison.

Lipase mediated synthesis of polycaprolactone and its silica nanohybrid

In this study, rice husk ash (RHA) silanized with 3-glycidyloxypropyl trimethoxysilane was used as support material to immobilize Candida antarctica lipase B. The developed biocatalyst was then utilized in the ring opening polymerization (ROP) of ε-caprolactone and in situ development of PCL/Silica nanohybrid. The silanization degree of RHA was determined as 4 % (w) by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Structural investigations and calculation of molecular weights of nanohybrids were realized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR). Crystallinity was determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was used for morphological observations. Accordingly, the PCL composition in the nanohybrid was determined as 4 %, approximately. Short chained amorphous PCL was synthesized with a number average molecular weight of 4400 g/mol and crystallinity degree of 23 %. In regards to these properties, synthesized PCL/RHA composite can find use biomedical applications.

Cr(III) removal from synthetic and industrial wastewaters by using co-gasification chars of rice waste streams

Blends of rice waste streams were submitted to co-gasification assays. The resulting chars (G1C and G2C) were characterized and used in Cr(III) removal assays from a synthetic solution. A Commercial Activated Carbon (CAC) was used for comparison purposes. The chars were non-porous materials mainly composed by ashes (68.3-92.6% w/w). The influences of adsorbent loading (solid/liquid ratio - S/L) and initial pH in Cr(III) removal were tested. G2C at a S/L of 5 mg L^-1 and an initial pH of 4.50 presented an uptake capacity significantly higher than CAC (7.29 and 2.59 mg g^-1, respectively). G2C was used in Cr(III) removal assays from an industrial wastewater with Cr(III) concentrations of 50, 100 and 200 mg L^-1. Cr(III) removal by precipitation (uptake capacity ranging from 11.1 to 14.9 mg g^-1) was more effective in G2C, while adsorption (uptake capacity of 16.1 mg g^-1) was the main removal mechanism in CAC.

Study of the removal mechanism of aquatic emergent pollutants by new bio-based chars

This work is dedicated to study the potential application of char byproducts obtained in the gasification of rice husk (RG char) and rice husk blended with corn cob (RCG char) as removal agents of two emergent aquatic contaminants: tetracycline and caffeine. The chars presented high ash contents (59.5-81.5%), being their mineral content mainly composed of silicon (as silica) and potassium. The samples presented a strong basic character, which was related to its higher mineral oxides content. RCG char presented better textural properties with a higher apparent surface area (144 m² g^-1) and higher micropore content (V _micro = 0.05 cm³ g^-1). The alkaline character of both chars promoted high ecotoxicity levels on their aqueous eluates; however, the ecotoxic behaviour was eliminated after pH correction. Adsorption experiments showed that RG char presented higher uptake capacity for both tetracycline (12.9 mg g^-1) and caffeine (8.0 mg g^-1), indicating that textural properties did not play a major role in the adsorption process. For tetracycline, the underlying adsorption mechanism was complexation or ion exchange reactions with the mineral elements of chars. The higher affinity of RG char to caffeine was associated with the higher alkaline character presented by this char.

Adding value to gasification and co-pyrolysis chars as removal agents of Cr3

The present work aims to assess the efficiency of chars, obtained from the gasification and co-pyrolysis of rice wastes, as adsorbents of Cr³⁺ from aqueous solution. GC and PC chars, produced in the gasification and co-pyrolysis, respectively, of rice husk and polyethylene were studied. Cr³⁺ removal assays were optimised for the initial pH value, adsorbent mass, contact time and Cr³⁺ initial concentration. GC showed a better performance than PC with about 100% Cr³⁺ removal, due to the pH increase that caused Cr precipitation. Under pH conditions in which the adsorption prevailed (pH<5.5), GC presented the highest uptake capacity (21.1mg Cr³⁺ g^-1 char) for the following initial conditions: 50mg Cr³⁺ L^-1; pH 5; contact time: 24h;L/S ratio: 1000mLg^-1. The pseudo-second order kinetic model showed the best adjustment to GC experimental data. Both the first and second order kinetic models fitted well to PC experimental data. The ion exchange was the dominant phenomenon on the Cr³⁺ adsorption by GC sample. Also, this char significantly reduced the ecotoxicity of Cr³⁺ solutions for the bacterium Vibrio fischeri. GC char proved to be an efficient material to remove Cr³⁺ from aqueous solution, without the need for further activation.

Removal of Cd (II) from Aqueous Media by Adsorption onto Chemically and Thermally Treated Rice Husk

Chemically and thermally treated rice husks were evaluated as a potential decontaminant of toxic Cd (II) in aqueous media. Rice husk (RH), a by-product from rice milling, was chemically treated with HCl and NaOH. Then, thermal treatments to 300, 500, and 700°C were applied. The chemical composition and morphological characteristics of RH were evaluated by different techniques. The specific surface area analysis of RH samples by BET nitrogen adsorption method provided specific surface areas ranging from 6 to 14 m2/g. SEM, FTIR, and EDX analyses of RH were carried out to determine the surface morphology, functional groups involved in metal binding mechanism, and C/O and C/Si ratios, respectively. The maximum Cd (II) adsorption capacity was 28.27 mg/g at an optimum pH, 6.0. The kinetic studies revealed that adsorption process followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model.

Direct synthesis of tetraalkoxysilanes from silica and alcohols

A simple and efficient process for synthesizing tetraalkoxysilanes from silica and alcohols was developed using molecular sieves as dehydrating agents.