Preparing high purity white carbon black from rice husk

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Sustainable Chemistry

Background:

• Rice husk (RH) is an abundant agricultural waste.
• Developing cost-effective methods for producing valuable materials from RH is crucial.
• White carbon black is a versatile industrial material.

Purpose of the Study:

• To optimize the preparation of white carbon black from rice husk.
• To identify key technological parameters influencing white carbon black purity and characteristics.
• To analyze the properties of the synthesized white carbon black.

Main Methods:

• Single-factor tests were conducted to screen parameters.
• Orthogonal experiments were used to determine the significance of factors.
• Response surface analysis was applied for parameter optimization.
• Characterization of the prepared white carbon black was performed.

Main Results:

• Calcination temperature was the most significant factor affecting purity, followed by alkali treatment time, final pH, and surfactant.
• Optimal preparation parameters were identified: 610°C calcination temperature, 2.3 hr alkali treatment time, pH 10, and CTMAB as surfactant.
• The optimized process yielded white carbon black with 99.39% silica purity.
• The synthesized white carbon black exhibited uniform, spherical, and well-dispersed particles.

Conclusions:

• Rice husk is a viable and sustainable raw material for producing high-purity white carbon black.
• The established optimization methodology effectively identifies key parameters for material synthesis.
• The prepared white carbon black meets the stringent requirements of the GB/T 34698-2017 standard, indicating its industrial applicability.