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Abstract
A new process for porous silica production has been developed using a hydrothermal method. Hydrothermally synthesized calcium silicate was used as the starting material in this study, which was produced from a mixture of Ca(OH)2 and amorphous silica (white carbon) under hydrothermal conditions of 140°C and 0.4 MPa, for 8 hours. The calcium silicate was subsequently treated with an acid solution, facilitating the leaching of Ca ions. After washing with pure water, the multant Ca2+ -free silica powder was allowed to dry. The Ca2+ -free silica powder was found to have an amorphous structure, with 0.9 ml/g pore volume, up to 610m2/g BET specific surface area, and an average 5 ∼ 8 nm pore size. Our hydrothermal process is simple and low cost, and is anticipated to have numerous applications to the petrochemical industry.