Structural Analysis of Silica Extract from B anana Stems via Acid Leaching under Different Reaction Time

Abstract

Production of silica from agricultural waste such as banana stems are mainly synthesized from acid leaching treatment. Citric acid (C6H8O7 ) was used as substitute for conventional hydrochloric acid (HCL) and sulphuric acid (H2SO4 ) because it is safer and less harmful to the human health. The main parameters in leaching treatment are leaching time and acid concentration. The acid concentration used was 1.0 mol/L of citric acid (C6H8O7 ) and leaching time of 30, 60 and 90 minutes, respectively. The leaching treatment produced 47.8% to 99.9% of extracted silica. The samples of extracted silica were characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).