Silica Synthesis from Oil Palm Mill Boiler Ash under Different Concentration of NaOH and Extraction Time

Boiler ash from palm oil mill contains high SiO2compound. The boiler ash used in this study was from PKS Cikasungka PTPN VIII, Bogor. The research objectives were to (i) optimize the conditions of silica synthesis process from boiler ash, (ii) analyze the silica content of the synthesis, (iii) and analyze the performance of silica as a moisture absorber. This research was designed using a central composite design (CCD) and the variables were optimized using the response surface method (RSM), silica was synthesis using sol-gel method and silica content was measured using XRF. The performance of silica as a moisture absorber was also studied to determine the appropriate adsorption kinetics at 32%, 64%, 75%, 85% and 97% RH conditions. The results showed that the optimum process conditions that produced the highest silica yield (41.17%) were solvent concentration of 7.39 M and extraction time 78.13 minutes. The silica gel produced is a white powder with SiO2content of 79.20%. The results showed that the water vapor adsorption kinetics at 64% RH was simulated with a first order model, while other treatments with 32%, 75%, 85% and 97% RH were simulated with a second order pseudo model. At 32% RH had a higher k value of 0.086 g/g/day than the 97% RH of 0.011 g/g/day.