Ashes from sugarcane by-product incineration were used to synthesize silica powders through alkaline hot extraction, followed by ethanol/acid precipitation or the sol-gel method. Both production methods allowed amorphous spherical silica microparticles with sizes ranging from 1-15 μm and 97% purity to be obtained. Water absorption ranged from 135-155 mL/100 g and 150-250 mL/100 g for precipitated silica and silica gel, respectively, while oil absorption ranged from 305 to 390 and from 250 to 350 mL/100 g. The precipitation with ethanol allowed the recovery of 178 g silica/kg ash, with a lab process cost of EUR 28.95/kg, while the sol-gel process showed a yield of 198 g silica/kg ash with a cost of EUR 10.89/kg. The experimental data suggest that ash from sugarcane by-products is a promising source to be converted into a competitive value-added product, minimizing the environmental impact of disposal problems.
Keywords: amorphous silica; circular economy; cosmetic ingredient; process development; spherical microparticles.