Preliminary Study: Local Iron Sand Characterization of Titanomagnetite Type

Abstract

In this study, we have characterized the natural iron sand type of titanomagnetite taken from the coast of West Lampung. Prior to characterization, the natural iron sand type of titanomagnetite was milling with high energy milling (HEM) for 10 h. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were used to characterize surface morphology and analysis of constituent elements of iron sands respectively. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used for phase analysis and crystal structure. The morphology of the surface of the natural iron sand type of titanomagnetite had a variety of shapes and sizes of particles and contrasting colors. This is consistent with the result of characterization using energy dispersive spectroscopy where the element of iron sand consists of Fe (66.57 %), Mg (1.37 %), Si (0.57 %), Al (1.66 %), Ti (8.03 %), La (1.17 %) and O (20.64 %). These constituent elements did not stand on their own but bond to each other forming certain phases. Analysis by X-ray diffraction is generated that the phases formed on the iron sand of types titanomagnetite, consist of ilmenite (FeTiO3), hematite (α-Fe2O3) and titanomagnetite (Fe3-x(MT,Ti)xO4) phases with the content respective of 9.63 %, 19.09 % and 71.28 %, where MT = metal transition.