Synthesis and colour prediction of stable pigments from rice husk biomass

Abstract

In this work, we present a method to convert rice husk (RH) biowaste to a wide range of thermally stable and colour intensive pigments. The silica nanoparticles derived from acid-treated RHs are amorphous and of high purity, which make them ideal for the synthesis of ceramic pigments. The reactivity of the silica nanoparticles from RHs is comparable to that of fumed silica. Considering the high cost and health-related/environment-related issues associated with the production of fumed silica, the route to synthesise high-quality pigments using RH biowaste satisfies the sustainable development, economy and environmental demands. Furthermore, a large number of pigments with various colours were prepared through adjusting the formulation of the raw materials. A predictive model for the colours of the ceramic pigments as a function of pigment chemical composition was developed, which provides a quick colour prediction of the synthesized pigments based on their chemical composition. This article contains supporting information that will be made available online once the issue is published.