FORMATION OF QUARTZ SAND AND SODIUM SILICATE-BASED BRIQUTTE AS SLOW RELEASE-POTASSIUM MEDIA IN WATER

• Main Author: Arrizki Lubis, Faiz
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/47317
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Increasing needs of quality and productivity of food crop yields will urge the development in agricultural activitiy. The addition of fertilizer with appropriate dosage is needed to avoid the soil pollution and loss of fertilizer. Nowadays, utilization of materials as slow/controlled release fertilizer media needs to be developed. One of the materials can be used as slow-release fertilizer media is quartz sand. In this research, the releasing rate of fertilizer will be studied with utilizing quartz sand from Cibadak, Sukabumi through dissolution test of the sample in water at atmospheric temperature and pressure. The experiment began with the material preparation including comminution and characterization of quartz sand using XRD, XRF, and SEM. The second step were the production of the quartz sand briquette sample including material mixing and briquetting. The mass composition variation of quartz sand and sodium hydroxide solution (grams) used are 2,5:1; 3:1; and 3,75:1. The next step is briquetting process which using 40 kg/cm2 of pressure. The quartz sand briquette samples were heated with temperature variation of 90, 100, and 110 °C. Dissolution test were carried out by dipping the sample in water and taking water sample ten times in 52 hours. The percentages of dissolved potassium as a fuction of time at various condition were determined by using AAS. In other hand, the samples are characterized with FTIR and SEM Mapping. The result of XRD and SEM Mapping shows that silica is the most dominating element in the minerals. XRF shows that the composition of silicon (Si) in crystalline silica minerals is 86,77%. AAS shows that the lowest percentage of potassium release in water on composition of crystalline silica (grams) : NaOH solution (grams) : waterglass (grams) 15:1:4, heating temperature 110°C, and heating time 3 hours, that is 27,66%. FTIR analysis is used to study the effect of formation composition, heating temperature, and heating time variation to potassium release in water.