Rice Husk Ash-Derived COK-12: A Sustainable Ordered Mesoporous Silica Platform for Catalysis, Adsorption, and Energy-Related Applications
Abstract
Agricultural residues offer valuable secondary resources for producing functional inorganic materials. This study proposes a sustainable route for synthesizing COK-12, an ordered mesoporous silica with a two-dimensional hexagonal pore structure, using rice husk ash (RHA) as a silica source. The RHA silica is recovered and purified to form soluble silicate and integrated into the COK-12 framework by mixing with Pluronic P-123 micelles in an aqueous citrate/citric-acid solution. This will decrease reliance on traditional organosilicon-based sources, and provide an alternative, comparatively gentle and resource-saving method of synthesis.
Characterization of the synthesized material is proposed to be done by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM), elemental analysis, nitrogen adsorption–desorption, BET surface-area analysis, BJH/DFT pore-size distribution, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and, if available, solid-state ²⁹Si MAS NMR. Characteristic hexagonal mesostructural reflections, a type-IV adsorption isotherm and the presence of H1 hysteresis, as well as a high-accessibility mesoporous network, are expected to be observed in successful formation.
The applications of RHA-derived COK-12 include catalysis, adsorption, environmental remediation and energy material, reflecting potential applications of valorization of agricultural-waste into advanced mesostructured material.
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