Nondumiso Maseko, NcamisileEnke, DirkIwarere, Samuel AyodeleOluwafemi, Oluwatobi SamuelPocock, Jonathan2024-01-172024-01-172023-03-05Maseko, N.N.; Enke, D.; Iwarere, S.A.; Oluwafemi, O.S.; Pocock, J. Synthesis of Low Density and High Purity Silica Xerogels from South African Sugarcane Leaves without the Usage of a Surfactant. Sustainability 2023, 15, 4626. https://DOI.org/10.3390/su15054626.2071-1050 (online)10.3390/su15054626http://hdl.handle.net/2263/94001Sugarcane leaves were used to produce high-purity and low-density silica xerogels through a sol–gel method. The biogenic silica produced through a thermochemical method was reacted with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to form sodium silicate and the produced sodium silicate was titrated with 1 M citric acid to form silica gel. The formed silica gel was washed, subjected to a solvent exchange process and later dried at 80 C to produce low-density and high-purity silica xerogels. The produced xerogels were characterized with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen physisorption, elemental analysis (CHNS), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The produced silica xerogels had an amorphous structure and purity of 99.9 wt%. In addition, the textural properties analysis showed that the xerogel has a BET surface area of 668 m2g1, an average pore diameter of 7.5 nm, a pore volume of 1.26 cm3g1 and a density of 0.23 gcm3.en© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.XerogelSugarcane leavesSol–gel methodAmorphous biogenic silicaValue added materialSolvent exchangeSDG-15: Life on landArticle