Synthesis and Bioactivity Evaluation of a Rice Husk-Derived Bioactive Glass

Bioactive glasses have been widely used for bone replacement due to their biological properties. Such materials have recently been synthesized using a sol–gel process, but the expensive reagents represent a major disadvantage of this approach. To overcome this issue, rice husk ash is proposed herein as a cost-free silica source. SiO 2 –CaO–P 2 O 5 bioactive glass was synthesized by a sol–gel route using rice husk as the silica precursor, then its bioactive behavior in simulated body fluid (SBF) solution was evaluated at 7 days and 14 days. The synthesized bioactive glass was evaluated before and after exposure to SBF using x-ray diffraction analysis, infrared spectroscopy, and microscopy. Furthermore, fluorescence, Raman, and density measurements were carried out to complete the characterization. The results showed that the glass synthesized using silica from rice husk exhibited bioactivity, inducing apatite formation with a Ca/P ratio similar to that of bone, indicating potential use as a biomaterial.