Electron Microscope and Diffraction Study of Snake Fruit (Salacca zalacca (Gaert.) Voss) Peels

Abstract

Electron Microscopy study of snake fruit (Salacca zalacca (Gaert.) Voss) peels have been carried out by scanning at the surface part of the snake fruit peel (outer and inner) using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The SEM micrograph of outer snake fruit peel shows patterned some spots with percentage of carbon (55.73%), oxygen (23.28%), silicon (20.36%) and other components (0.63%). While on the inside part shows the shape like a fiber with carbon composition (46.40%), oxygen (50.43%) and other components (3.17%). Further treatment of snake fruit peel biomass by heating 500 °C and confirmation by X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that, the presence of carbon and crystalline phase of quartz silica. Furthermore, SEM-EDS shows some porous pattern with the percentage of carbon (58.9%), oxygen (28.87%), silicon (5.71%) and other components (6.52%).