67

hydrothermal process works well for producing zeolite, specifically zeolite-Y from rice

husk silica (Pangesti et. al. 2021). On the other hand, the present study used the sol-gel

method in evaluating envirogel from lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) as desiccant

material. Chirsty and Sivarukshy, (2021), contrasted it to the commercial desiccant

material which is also similar to the present study.

The study of Setyawan et, al (2021) is similar to the current study conducted since

they also synthesize silica but differ in the raw materials used where this study used rice

husk while the present study used lemongrass. This study used XRF to identify the

chemical compositions and purity of silica powders produced from the rice husk, XRD to

determine the pattern of silica powders produce from various concentrarion of KOH, and

SEM or Scanning Electron Microscopy to depict morphology of the nano-silica while the

present study did not used these test. Also, they used varying KOH solution for silica

extraction 7, 10, 13 which is also used in the present study and also the extraction time

90, 120 150 mins were also the same. Meanwhile, the gel drying temperature considered

by this study is 110°C while the present study considered 100°C, 110°C, and 120°C.

The study of Firdaus et al. (2017) is also similar to the current study being

conducted since it also used lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) in producing pure silica

whereas the current study also used lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) as the raw

materials in producing silica. The results of this study shows that it is really possible to

extract silica from lemongrass and synthesize it to improve the amount of silica that can

be produce. The methods utilized in the study were different to the current study since

the study of Firdaus et al. (2017) used hydrochloric acid leaching and thermal burning

while the current study utilized alkali extraction method and sol-gel method.

The study of Sembiring et al. (2014) is similar to the current study because both

study uses alkali extraction method to extract silica for the sol process of sol-gel method.

The sol-gel method is recognized as the most appealing since it allows for good mixing
 68

to ensure that the beginning elements are consistent, as a result of which the distribution

of components at the to create monophasic gels at the atomic level. There is a difference

between the two is the raw materials utilized and the laboratory test conducted. Also, the

study of Sembering et. al consider only 110°C as the temperature for oven drying the gel

temperature while the present study considered 100°C, 110°C, and 120°C.

The study of Bera, J. and Nayak, J.P. (2011) and the present study is similar in

terms of the intended output which is to produce a color indicating silica gel. The findings

of this work are applicable to the development of low-cost, high-efficiency silica desiccant

with better safety due to its low cobalt level. One of the differences between this study

and the present study is that this study utilized rice husk ash as its raw materials and

sodium silicate extraction and acid neutralization method for silica extraction and silica

synthesizing while the present study uses lemongrass as its raw material and alkali

extraction method for silica extraction and sol-gel method for synthesizing the extracted

silica from lemongrass. Another is the color indicator for silica gel, the study of Bera and

Nayak utilize cobalt chloride while the present study used methyl violet. Also, this study

used pH 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 of cobalt chloride while the present study only considered pH

4, 6, and 8 for methyl violet. Moreover, it also indicates that pH 6 gel has the most notable

blue to pink color change behavior in 6 days. Meanwhile the present study considered

impregnation time of 4, 6, and 8 days. They use 150°C as their envirogel drying

temperature while the present study consider 100°C ,110°C, and 120°C. Lastly, the study

of Bera and Nayak do not consider envirogel drying time since they let it dry until the

weight is contant.

For a better understanding of this research, the associated literature cited above

relied on earlier investigations. Although the study shared certain raw materials,

methodologies, and ideas with the previous studies, it cannot be regarded as a duplicate
 69

because it aims to enhance and determine the optimal method to increase the silica

content of lemongrass. The preceding research was used merely as a source of

information in developing the best-suited solution methodology and procedure design for

experimental methods and procedures