Synthesis of Ferrosilicon from Coconut Char as Reductant at Different Reduction Times

Abstract

In the steelmaking industry, the kind of silica and carbon sources utilized in the ferrosilicon manufacturing process have a big impact on the operation's stability, energy usage, and cost. Biomass resources have gained attention due to their potential to replace existing materials to produce activated carbon as it is the best way to preserve the environment. Thus, this study focused on the synthesis of ferrosilicon from coconut char as a reductant at different reduction times (30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes). The coconut char was prepared by physical activation method via pyrolysis process at 450 ̊C within 2 hours under a nitrogen atmosphere. X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and Optical Microscope (OM) were used to characterize the activated carbon from coconut shells. CHNS analysis found an increment of about 65% in carbon content after pyrolyzed, which could potentially be used as a reductant in ferrosilicon synthesis. Next, the ferrosilicon synthesis study was conducted in a muffle furnace at a reduction temperature of 1200 ̊C with a flow rate of 10 ̊C/min for 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes of reduction times. Phase transformation of reduced samples at different reduction times was analyzed by X-ray Diffraction (XRD). XRD pattern found that at 120 minutes reduction times, the iron silicon peak is observed as the morphology analysis showed a presence of metallic grey particles which represent the existence of iron silicon. The possibility of converting the biomass into an alternate supply that was discovered in ferrosilicon synthesis also would minimize the landfill waste.