Uptake of Nickel(II) Ion by Silica-o-Phenylenediamine Derived from Rice Husk Ash

The silica-ortho-phenylenediamine(RHAOPDA) derived from Rice Husk Ash and o- phenylenediamine (OPDA) were synthesized. The prepared material was characterized by different techniques; N2- adsorption-desorption measurements of the synthesized material showed that the surface area for RHAOPDA is 25.10 m2 g−1 with a mean pore diameter of 15.10 nm. CHNS and FT-IR analyses proved that the o-phenylenediamine was successfully incorporated on modified silica RHACI. X-ray diffraction technique been showed the amorphous nature of RHAOPDA with maximum intensity at 22° (2θ), while the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) technique showed that the shapes of the particles resemble the fruit of the cauliflower with average particle size to be 22.62 nm. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA-DTA) of RHAOPDA indicated that the physically adsorbed water was lost between (30–150) °C which means it is weakly bonded in the silica- ortho-phenylenediamine, while the residual parts of material decomposed up to 820 °C. The RHAOPDA showed a high possibility for uptake and removal of Ni(II) ion from aqueous solution.