Studies on Thermal Degradation Behavior of Siliceous Agriculture Waste (Rice Husk, Wheat Husk and Bagasse)

Various siliceous agriculture waste (SAW) such as rice husk, wheat husk and bagasse have been investigated to study their thermal degradation behavior using Thermogravimetric Analyzer (TGA) technique. The focus of this research is to conduct TGA of raw and acid treated (20% HCl & 1M H2SO4) SAW at heating rate 10°C/min in the atmosphere of nitrogen. The results were analyzed on the basis of thermograms and it was inferred that 24 hours soaking with 20% HCl prior to thermal degradation enhanced the percent weight loss. The process also improved the percentage of residual weight of SAW indicating the extraction of amorphous silica with increased purity. The effect of acid treatment was verified by determining chemical composition of SAW samples before and after soaking with 20% HCl. Proximate analysis, thermal degradation temperature ranges and percentage of residual weight at 800°C for each of rice husk, wheat husk and bagasse were also quantified to observe the thermal degradation behavior. XRF analysis was performed to observe the effect of acid treatment for extraction of pure silica.