CHARACTERIZATION OF SILICA (SiO2) BASED ON BEACH SAND FROM SULAWESI AND SUMATRA AS SILICON CARBIDE (SiC) BASE MATERIAL

Abstract

Silica (SiO2) is a material that has become famous because of its profound benefits in various fields. Its presence is abundant in nature and is associated with other compounds so that silica can be produced by extraction. This study aims to characterize silica based on coastal sand from Sulawesi and Sumatra as the base material for silicon carbide (SiC). Extraction was carried out using the alkali fusion method. The tests used were X-Ray Fluorescence, Fourier Transform Infrared, and X-Ray Diffraction to determine the elemental composition of Si, functional groups, and silica crystal structure. The results show that the beach sand from Sumatra has more silica content than the beach sand from Sulawesi. Silica has silanol (Si-OH) and siloxane (Si-O-Si) functional groups. The crystal structure obtained is hexagonal. Thus, beach sand from Sumatera can be used as a source of silica as the base material for SiC