Silica/lignosulfonate hybrid materials: Preparation and characterization

The research reported here concerns the synthesis, characterization and potential applications of silica/lignosulfonate hybrid materials. Three types of silica were used (Aerosil®200, Syloid®244 and hydrated silica), along with magnesium lignosulfonate. The effectiveness of the hybrid material synthesis methodology was confirmed indirectly, using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, elemental and colorimetric analysis. Dispersive-morphological analysis indicates that the products with the best properties were obtained using 10 parts by weight of magnesium lignosulfonate per 100 parts of Syloid®244 silica. The relatively high thermal stability recorded for the majority of the synthesized products indicates the potential use of this kind of a material as a polymer filler. Results indicating the high electrokinetic stability of the materials are also of great importance. Additionally, the very good porous structure properties indicate the potential use of silica/lignosulfonate systems as biosorbents of hazardous metal ions and harmful organic compounds.