Saudi Journal of Engineering and Technology (SJEAT)
Volume-11 | Issue-09 | 844-853
Original Research Article
Hydrogen Peroxide-Assisted Extraction and FTIR Characterization of Silica from Bambusa vulgaris Leaves Using 650°C Calcination
Ahmad Montajim Robayat Shabab, Satu Saha
Published : Sept. 17, 2026
Abstract
Valorization of silica-bearing plant residues offers a route for converting low-value biomass into functional inorganic materials. This study investigated silica recovery from Bambusa vulgaris leaves using a multistage process comprising hydrochloric-acid leaching, hydrogen-peroxide pretreatment, calcination, alkaline extraction, acid precipitation, washing, and drying. Freshly collected leaves were washed and oven-dried, after which a 50.044 g powder batch was leached with 1 M HCl at 80°C for 1 h. The recovered dry mass after leaching was 31.8 g. A 3.0 g acid-leached sub-batch was then treated with 1 mL of 30% H2O2 in 20 mL distilled water at 60°C for 1 h and dried to 1.942 g before calcination at 650°C for 3 h. A representative gravimetric mass balance showed that approximately 100 g of dry leaf powder produced 20 g of calcined ash and approximately 10 g of dried silica-based powder, corresponding to a 20% ash yield, a 10% recovered-product yield on a dry-leaf basis, and a 50% ash-to-product recovery. The calcined material was subjected to alkaline extraction with 2 M NaOH at 90°C for 1 h, and the resulting sodium-silicate-containing filtrate was acidified with HCl to approximately pH 3. The formed gel was washed and dried at 100°C for 12 h to obtain a white silica-based powder. FTIR analysis over 4000-400 cm-1 showed a broad O-H band centered at 3398 cm-1, a prominent Si-O-Si asymmetric stretching band at 1062 cm-1, a Si-O-related band near 800 cm-1, and a broad Si-O-Si bending region at approximately 470-425 cm-1. These features are consistent with hydrated, silanol-containing silica and with the broad spectral profile commonly reported for biogenic amorphous silica. However, FTIR alone cannot establish crystallographic phase or quantitative purity. The study therefore demonstrates a feasible H2O2-assisted extraction route with competitive gravimetric recovery, while identifying XRD, XRF/EDX, replicated yield measurements, and a matched no-H2O2 control as essential next-stage analyses.