Assawagetmanee M.Inthapat P.Chotmunkhongsin C.Worasuwannarak N.Aldous L.Wu K.C.W.Charinpanitkul T.Chaiwat W.Mahidol University2026-02-062026-02-062026-04-01Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering Vol.14 No.2 (2026)22132929https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/114687Sugarcane bagasse ash, an abundant agricultural waste with high silica content (68 wt%), was modified through two combined processes of 1 M hydrochloric acid leaching followed by 800 °C calcination for 2 h with a different sequence to tailor its textural properties. Then, the silica-rich powder was utilized as an Fe catalyst support material for carbon nanotube synthesis. The calcined after acid-leached ash (CLA) samples exhibited a higher silica content of 87.5 wt% with a specific surface area of 12.3 m²/g, when compared to the acid-leached after calcined ash (LCA) samples prepared by an opposite treatment sequence. After the hydrothermal treatment with an iron nitrate solution using 20 wt% Fe loading, the Fe supported on the calcined after acid-leached ash (Fe/CLA) catalyst exhibited a higher surface area of 25.4 m²/g with a smaller Fe crystallite size of 31.8 nm. By using benzene as a carbon source through catalytic chemical vapor deposition at 800 °C, the selected Fe/CLA catalyst could provide a remarkable carbon nanotube yield of 7.93 wt% with a uniform diameter of 44.4 nm and high graphitic content based on I <inf>G</inf> /I <inf>D</inf> of 1.96. Accordingly, this work demonstrates the potential utilization of sugarcane bagasse ash as a promising Fe catalyst support material for carbon nanotube production from benzene with preliminary economic-environmental outlooks.Chemical EngineeringEnvironmental ScienceEngineeringArticleSCOPUS10.1016/j.jece.2026.1212112-s2.0-10502836850922133437