Crystallization Study of MgCO3 into Softwood

• Main Author: Yuda Pratama, Pebi
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Subjects: Kimia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/32251
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Nowadays the need for strong and light material is being frequently discussed in the world. World consumption of non-renewable material is quite high and still increasing, but the material savings would be limited and will be depleted. Based on these issues, we need to develop the technology where the renewable material can be used as a substitute of non-renewable material. The material must be light, strong, and can be renewed, thus the crystallization study of MgCO3 into softwood has been done. Crystallization is a process of crystal formation of solution precipitation, melting, or direct precipitation from the gas. MgCO3 crystallization process into the wood is a wood modification process where the properties of the modified wood will increase. Crystallization has been done by soaking the pine wood (pinus caribaea) into a saturated MgCO3 solution for 3 months. Wood samples which have been soaked with a saturated MgCO3 solution has decreased the mass by 1.05% for one-month soaking, 3.52% for two months, and 3.35% for the three-months. Consecutive decrease in volume are 1.99%, 0.57% and 1.83%. Consecutive density changes are 0.96%, -2.96% and -1.55%. Crystal identification test followed by using XRD and SEM. The results of the XRD identification showed that the presence of MgCO3 crystals with 2? = 29o has contained in the wood samples after 3 months soaking with the peak height 4.69 counts. The results of SEM identification showed that the formation of crystalline MgCO3 in the wood tissue are starting to increase from 1 month to 3 months soaking. The formation of crystals in the wood tissue occurs gradually starting from the surface at the edge towards the center of the pore, which then fills the tissue of wood samples. Identification of changes in properties with the mechanical test of the wood samples showed an increasing strength of the wood samples in soaking process from 1 month to 3 months, with the highest increasing strength is the 3rd month soaking, which is 3648 N/cm2. Pores of the wood structure that being filled by crystal MgCO3 increases the stability of the material that is proportional to the strength (quality) of wood. The process of degradation and decomposition of the wood becomes a consideration when the crystallization process is expected to impregnating the cell lumina and empty pores in the wood.