Strong Acid Effects for Characterization Clay from District Tanah Miring, Merauke Regency

Department of Chemical Education, Teacher Training and Education Faculty, Universitas Musamus, Merauke 99600, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author :parlindungan_fkip@unmus.ac.id

Abstract

The abundance of clay in the Merauke district has not been utilized optimally. This is due to a lack of research and information about these clays. Clay is one of the natural minerals from the silica group whose particle size is less than two micrometers and has many uses, including basic materials for the manufacture of ceramics, paper-making materials, adsorbents, assisting drilling, and bleaching in CPO. In this study, characterization has been carried out including functional group characterization using an FTIR spectrophotometer, crystallinity using XRD, and morphological analysis by SEM. The results obtained that the mineral content of the clay from the sloping soil district was proposed to contain Illite and Quartz minerals with the main peaks of the diffractogram appearing at an angle of 2θ about 21^o; 26^o; 36^o; and 42^o; at angles d (Å) 3.34 and d (Å) 4.25. XRD results were also tested using search-match analysis, and the sample intensity was obtained containing quartz minerals (~ 98%). In the development of this material, it is necessary to obtain XRD data to determine the exact components of clay.