UPGRADING OF EAST KALIMANTAN LIGNITE CHARATERISTICS THROUGH INORGANIC SALT CHEMICAL ACTIVATION TREATMENT PRODUCING MICROWAVE ABSORBENT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11113/jurnalteknologi.v88.24530Keywords:
Chemical activation, dielectric loss tangent, lignite, microwave absorbentAbstract
The utilisation of microwaves in chemical processes is becoming increasingly popular due to its effectiveness over conventional methods. Certain processes necessitate microwave-absorbent materials, particularly when the target substrates exhibit inadequate dielectric properties. This study aims to investigate the transformation of East Kalimantan lignite into a microwave-absorbent material and identify the changes in its characteristics. Lignite samples were chemically treated using ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (NH4H2PO4) and ammonium sulphate ((NH4)2SO4) as activators, followed by washing and thermal treatment. These treatments converted lignite into a carbon-rich material with a chemical structure of activated carbon that closely resembling the structure of pure graphite. Notably, the fixed carbon content increased from 24.82% to 88.66%, indicating a significant enhancement in carbonisation. The dielectric loss tangent, initially undetectable, rose to 0.8898. Furthermore, the Fourier-transform (FTIR) spectrum revealed structural changes, including the transformation of alcoholic and aromatic ring groups, as well as alkane bonds, into an aliphatic ether structure.
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