Silica with 98% Purity was prepared from rice husk by acid leaching and used as a silica source for the syntheses of zeolite beta (Beta) under hydrothermal conditions with gel Si/Al ratios of 8,13,15,20,50, 100, 150, and 200. Based on powder X-ray diffraction patterns, samples with gel Si/Al ratios of 8-20 contained only the pure phase of Beta and the highest relative crystallinity was observed in the Beta with gel Si/Al ratio of 13. This sample was further characterized by scanning electron microscopy, particle size analyzer and N-2 adsorption analysis. The Beta particles were sphere shaped with the average particle size of 1.5 mu m and a surface area of 670 m(2) g(-1). The samples with gel Si/Al ratios ranging from 50 to 200 showed mixed phases of Beta and ZSM-12, and the latter phase was more dominant as the Si/Al ratio increased. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.