<![CDATA[Silica xerogel is a porous material with a high surface area and active silanol and siloxane groups, making it a promising candidate for use as an adsorbent material. This study aimed to synthesize silica xerogel from palm shell ash as an alternative silica source, characterize its functional groups, and determine its surface area using the methylene blue adsorption method. Silica xerogel was synthesized via a sol–gel method followed by a drying process to obtain the xerogel. Functional group characterization was carried out using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), while the surface area was determined based on methylene blue adsorption analyzed using UV–Vis absorbance data. The results showed that the synthesized silica xerogel possessed characteristic silica functional groups, namely siloxane (Si–O–Si) and silanol (Si–OH). The methylene blue adsorption process showed a decrease in concentration from 25.7912 mg/L to 2.06 mg/L, with an adsorption efficiency of 92%, an adsorption capacity of 5.9328 mg/g, and a silica xerogel surface area of 21.96032 m²/g. These findings indicate that silica xerogel synthesized from palm shell ash has surface characteristics that support the adsorption of cationic dyes and has potential for use as a biomass waste-based adsorbent material.]]>
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