SiO2 Content and Chemical Properties of Potassium Silicate Extracted from Sugarcane Bagasse Ash using Sol Technique

Abstract

Abstract Bagasse is a by-product of the extraction process in sugarcane production. In sugar factories, the bagasse is generally used as fuel in boilers for steam power plants and sugar production. The burning process produces abundant bagasse ash containing high levels of silica (SiO2). The end product of by-product utilization has high economic value and is widely used in various industries, such as absorbent materials, food, rubber products, paints, ceramics, glasses, cement/concrete, toothpaste, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture. The present study investigates the effect of concentration of alkaline solution/KOH (5, 7, and 9 %), extraction time (30, 60, and 90 min) and ratio of sugarcane bagasse ash (SBA) and alkaline solution (1:5, 1:7, and 1:9 w/v) on the characteristic of “intermediate” liquid potassium silicate product. The extraction process was conducted using sol technique. The result showed that silica extraction conducted using KOH 5% at 90 min with ratio of SBA and alkaline solution 1:9 produced liquid potassium silicate with high content of SiO2 (14.85 %) and K2O (19.73%).