A REMUNERATIVE CHEMICAL STRATEGY FOR SYNTHESIZING PHOTCATALYTIC SIGNIFICANT AMORPHOUS SILICA NANOPARTICLES UTILIZING CASSAVA PERIDERM ASH

Abstract

Blazing and discarding of agricultural waste negligently besmirches the environment and increases greenhouse gas emissions. The abundance and renewable nature of agricultural wastes have prompted researchers to delve into re purposing discarded materials into utility items. The amount of agricultural waste generated has steadily risen in recent years as a consequence of the food supply chain's heightened efficiency. Legion researchers have taken cognizance of recent developments in the synthesis of Silica nanoparticles (SNP) from agricultural waste made from cassava periderm ash (CPA) and their application in the removal of various customary environmental contaminants from water. SNPs can have their configuration, appearance, porosity, and size revamped by adjusting the processing parameters during synthesis. Researchers are looking at these characteristics along with the associated uses of SNPs to figure out if agricultural waste may be leveraged to make silica precursors. The isolation of high purity SiO₂ from cassava (Manihot esculenta) periderm ash was achieved via an alkaline‐precipitation method, evaluating the effects of calcination temperature (650 °C and 750 °C) and NaOH concentration (3 N, 5 N) on yield and performance which was characterized by XRD (amorphous phase confirmation), SEM EDX (morphology, purity), FTIR (Si–O–Si and Si–OH vibrations), BET surface area and UV–Vis spectroscope. Silica from CPA employed for photocatalytic methyl orange degradation, 70 % of the dye was broken down in 90 minutes. These results establish optimal conditions for converting cassava periderm waste into functional SiO₂ capable of efficient organic dye removal.