Agricultural Residue : Corn Cob-A Potential Source of Silica

Corn is most abundantly cultivated crop around the globe. Approximately 18 kg of corn cobs are produced from 100 kg of corn grains. Corn cobs, which are the by-product of corn grains are usually thrown out as a waste or burnt as a low grade fuels. This causes a serious problem in storage as well as in disposal. This book provides a simple technology for producing the sodium silicate and precipitated silica by using an agricultural residue. Corn cob ash (CCA) was produced by soaking corn cobs in three different organic acids i.e., citric acid, acetic acid, oxalic acid. Then CCA was mixed with alkali solution to produce sodium silicate solution and precipitated silica was produced by the neutralization of sodium silicate solution. Sodium oxide content and silica content in the sodium silicate solution were also determined. Extracted precipitated silica particles were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-Ray diffraction and Optical microscopy techniques. The analysis presented in the book should be especially useful to the professionals in the fields of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science.