Synthesis of silicon carbide from rice husk

Abstract

This is a study about the synthesis of SiC from rice husk. The SiC production was carried out in two stages, the first one being the rice husk carbonization under vacuum, at the temperature range from 270 to 650 °C, and the second stage was the pyrolysis of the carbonized rice husk, at the temperature range from 1300 to 1800 °C and 120 min isotherms. The rice husk was characterized by X-ray fluorescence, and the reaction products were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The temperature influence on pyrolysis was demonstrated. SiC formation occurred in samples treated over 1600 °C, while at lower temperatures, it was possible to observe the secondary formation of cristobalite, tridymite, and quartz. In this study, it was possible to calculate the yield of SiC production as a function of the pyrolysis temperature of the carbonized rice husk.