CHARACTERIZATION OF QUARTZ SAND IN CENTRAL KALIMANTAN REGION AS RAW MATERIAL FOR SOLAR PANELS.

• Main Author: Mayzzani Hadiana, Wirandika
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/69411
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Energy from the sun is the energy that is abundant and freely available in this universe, to harness this energy we need help from the most abundant material on Earth, which is sand. Utilization of solar energy as a renewable energy source is becoming an important concern throughout the world. In solar energy, solar radiation is converted into electric current by using solar panels whose raw materials are made of semiconductor materials. The semiconductor material that is commonly used and easily obtained is silicon. The presence of silicon in nature is rarely found in its free form, but can be found in the form of silica compounds (SiO2) in quartz minerals. Quartz sand resources in Indonesia are abundant, but the use of quartz sand as raw material for solar panels is still not massive. In this study, the characterization of quartz sand in the Central Kalimantan area and the possibility of its use as raw material for solar panels was carried out. Quartz sand characterization was carried out using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis. The specification of quartz sand as raw material for solar panels is that it contains silicon dioxide 99.7%, iron oxide 85 ppm, titanium oxide 140 ppm, and aluminum oxide 500 ppm. Based on the results of the analysis conducted, samples of quartz sand in the Bangka area contain silicon dioxide content of 97.91%–99.14%, iron oxide 6005-8864 ppm, titanium oxide 168.5-3603 ppm, and aluminum oxide 907-3212 ppm. Thus, the quartz sand in the Central Kalimantan area does not meet the specifications as a raw material for solar panels. Quartz sand in the Central Kalimantan area still has potential as a raw material for solar panels, but a further purification process is needed.