Abstract Silica is derived from the diverse agricultural sources due to its extensive applications. This study reports the extraction of amorphous silica from the maize stalk cultivated in Ethiopia due to its abundant disposal, low price, and environmental impacts. Three different methods are used to extract silica and the resultant materials were characterized. The results demonstrate that the particles are in the amorphous structure and have disordered morphology with the particle attached through the grain boundary to form agglomerated structure. Reduction in the level of impurities and increment of silica content are found among the resultant materials. Besides, the occurrence of silanol and siloxane groups along with other functional groups and their variation between the products is reported. This study highlights the possible adaptation of the Ethiopian maize stalk as an alternative raw material for the production of silica and also reduces the environmental pollution caused by indiscriminate disposal of maize stalk.

中文翻译：

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玉米秸秆废料的升级作为生产无定形二氧化硅复合材料的替代农业原料

摘要 二氧化硅因其广泛的应用而来源于多种农业来源。本研究报告了从埃塞俄比亚种植的玉米茎中提取无定形二氧化硅，因为其处理量大、价格低且对环境有影响。使用三种不同的方法来提取二氧化硅并对所得材料进行表征。结果表明，颗粒呈无定形结构，形态无序，颗粒通过晶界附着形成团聚结构。在所得材料中发现杂质水平降低和二氧化硅含量增加。此外，报告了硅烷醇和硅氧烷基团以及其他官能团的出现以及它们在产品之间的变化。