Synthesis and Characterization of Silica Gel from Corn Cob Ash and Its Adsorption Study Toward Cu(II) Metal Ion

Abstract

Abundant corn production in Indonesia has created problems with waste in the form of cornhusk and corncobs. Corn husk has been widely used for animal feed, while corncobs have not been widely used. Corncob is a material that has a high enough silica content that is equal to 67.41%. Silica in corncob waste can be used in making silica gel. This study aims to synthesize and characterize silica gel derived from corncob ash and test its adsorption power on copper (II) metal ions. The method used in making silica gel is the sol-gel method. Silica gel characterization was carried out using FTIR (Fourier Transform Infra-Red) and XRD (X-ray Diffraction). The results showed that the water content in silica gel synthesized with sulphuric acid and acetic acid were 13.314% and 11.472%, respectively. The results of characterization with FTIR and XRD showed that the synthesized silica gel was similar to Kiesel Gel 60G. The synthesized silica gel with sulphuric acid has higher adsorption power and adsorption efficiency compared to Kiesel Gel 60G and the silica gel synthesized using acetic acid.