Synthesis, Optimization and Characterization of Silicon Carbide (SiC) from Rice Husk

Abstract

Although Silicon carbide (SiC) has shown interesting engineering properties, its cost of production continues to limit its applications in the industry. Therefore, this paper reports a simple, inexpensive method to synthesize silicon carbide via pyrolysis of rice husk without the use of catalysts or complex set-ups. Pyrolysis of rice husk was carried out in a tube furnace at temperatures ranging from 1000°C to 1500°C and retention time ranging from 1 to 2 hours in an Argon atmosphere flowing at a rate of 2l/min. The morphology of the products was analysed by SEM while phase analysis was done using XRD. The yield of SiC from rice husk was found to be affected significantly by pyrolysis temperature and retention time. It was observed that the synthesized SiC powder was a mixture of whiskers and particulates.