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Extraction of Alumina (Al2O3) From Mud

Monday, 03 November 2014

Abdul Karim

1113016200009
Abstract

Solid Waste Sludge (LPL) is formed from the process of deposition of solid
particles in water that has been coagulated such as alum and PAC (Poly Aluminum
Chloride). LPL contains alumina (Al2O3) which is quite high, making it possible to
carry out the alumina recovery process. This study aims to study the process of
retrieving alumina from LPL and determine the process conditions to obtain optimum
alumina. The process of retrieving alumina from a material is divided into three main
processes. First, LPL is calcined to break the bonds of the aluminosilicate complex
before adding a compound to bind the alum. The second process is solid-liquid
extraction (leaching) which functions to separate silica and alumina. Silica will
precipitate and alumina will dissolve. The third process is hydrolysis decomposition, the
Al compound will be heated with the addition of water so that it is hydrated to form
alumina. The experiment was carried out through two methods. The experimental
results of method 1 showed that the alumina contained in the mud sample was 0.25
grams. And method 2 as much as 0.15 grams.

Keywords: Waste sludge, alumina, calcination.

1. preliminary
Extraction is the process of separating two or more substances using immiscible
solvents. Based on the phase involved, there are two types of extraction, namely
liquid-liquid extraction and solid-liquid extraction. The transfer of components from
solid to solvent in solid-liquid extraction goes through three stages, namely diffusion
of the solvent into the pores of the solid or to the cell wall, in the cell wall the
dissolution of solids occurs by the solvent, and the last stage is the transfer of the
solution from the pores to a solution. extract. Solid-liquid extraction is influenced by
extraction time, temperature used, stirring, and the amount of solvent used (Harborne,

Extraction of Alumina (Al2O3) from Mud |1

 1987). The extraction rate of the material is determined by the particle size of the
material.

Separation is generally carried out when the exploitation process in mining

begins. The natural mixture of minerals in soil and rock has stability because nature will
recognize its components in a natural way. Mineral separation steps require knowledge
of inorganic cations and their solubility and chemical reactions required for chemical
extraction of minerals. Mineral separation in general is not a simple process, natural
rock will contain a mixture of minerals in the form of very stable mixed compounds
(Surjani Rahardjo, 2013: 214 & 216).
Aluminum is a good conductor of electricity, it is obvious metal from its
physical properties. However, Al2O3 acts as an oxidizing acid or an oxidizing base.
Oxidants with this ability are called amphoteric (amphoteric from the Greek word
amphos, meaning both). Al2O3 is insoluble in water but shows its amphoteric
properties through its reaction with both acidic and basic solutions.
Al2O3(s) + 6 HCl(aq)→2 AlCl3(aq) + 3 H2O(l)
acid base
AlCl3(s) + 2 NaOH(aq)+ 3 H2O(l) 2 Na[Al(OH)4](aq)→
Acid base sodium aluminate
This amphoteric nature indicates the point of exchange from basic oxidation to
acid oxidation in the elements of the third period (Oxtoby, 2003: 352)
Alumina is the only oxide of aluminum that is abundant in the earth's crust.
Generally found in combination with silicon and oxygen as in alumininosilicate,
aluminum metal is amphoteric, soluble in acids and bases (Sukri, 1999).
2Al(s) + 2OH-(aq) + 2H2O → 2AlO2-(aq) + 3H2(g) Alumina can be obtained
by heating its hydroxide. Heating this hydroxide above 850 0C produces oxides that are
insoluble in acids and bases, but on heating below 6000C, oxides are obtained which are
soluble in acids and bases or are amphoteric (Kristian, 2010).
Reaction with water

Extraction of Alumina (Al2O3) from Mud |2

 Alumina does not react simply with water and is insoluble in water. Although
alumina still contains oxide ions, the solid lattice is too strong to react with water.
Reaction with acids Alumina contains oxide ions, so it can react with acids.
For example, alumina reacts with hot dilute hydrochloric acid to produce a
solution of aluminum chloride.
Al2O3(s) + 6HCl(l) → 2AlCl3(l)+ 3H2O(l) In this case (and similarly in
reactions with other acids), alumina exhibits the basic side of its amphoteric nature.
Reaction with bases Alumina can also show its acidic properties, it can be seen in
reactions with bases such as sodium hydroxide solution. Hot concentrated sodium
hydroxide solution reacts with aluminum oxide to produce a colorless solution of
sodium tetrahydroxoaluminate. Al2O3(s)+ 2NaOH(aq)+ 3H2O(l)→ 2NaAl(OH)4(aq)
(Jim Clark, 2007).
There are two anhydrous forms of Al2O3, namely -Al2O3 and -Al2O3. -Al2O3
is stable at high temperatures and is also infinitely metastable at low temperatures. It
occurs in nature as the mineral corundum and can be prepared by heating Al2O3 or any
anhydrous oxide above 1000 0C. -Al2O3 is obtained by dehydration of the hydrated
oxide at low temperature (̴ 450 0C). -Al2O3 is hard and resistant to hydration and acid
attack. -Al2O3 easily absorbs water and dissolves in acid; The alumina used for
chromatography and adjusted for various reactivity conditions is -Al2O3 (Cotton, 1989)

2. Research methodology
The alumina extraction practicum from mud was carried out in the chemical
laboratory I, Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training, Syarif Hidayatullah State
Islamic University, Jakarta on November 3, 2014 at 07.30-18.00 WIB.
Tools and materials
In the practice of extracting alumina from mud, several tools are needed to be
used. Among them: oven, porcelain dish, desiccator, iron tongs, spatula, mortar,
pestle, glass funnel, ring, stative, beaker, measuring cup, O'haus balance, watch
glass, spray bottle,hot plate and stirrer, and universal pH indicator.

Extraction of Alumina (Al2O3) from Mud |3

 While the materials used are mud, 2 M NaOH solution, 2 M HCl solution, and
aquadest.
Work steps
Method 1
Carefully take 2.5 g of dry calcined mud and place it in a 50 mL beaker, then add
15 mL of 2M NaOH solution, stir with a magnetic stirrer for 30 minutes. Separate
the precipitate with filter paper, then transfer the filtrate to a 50 mL beaker. Add
2M HCl to pH 8, using universal pH indicator paper. Heat the solution (70°C) until
a precipitate forms, then cool the solution to room temperature and separate the
precipitate that forms. Wash the precipitate with distilled water until the pH of the
washing water is neutral, then the precipitate is heated in an oven at 110°C to a
constant weight. Record the mass of the final constant precipitate obtained.
Method 2
Carefully take 2.5 g of dry calcined mud and place it in a 50 mL beaker, then add
15 mL of 2M HCl solution. Cover the beaker with a watch glass, stir and heat the
solution with a magnetic stirrer for 30 minutes in a fume hood. Separate the
precipitate with filter paper, then transfer the filtrate to a 50mL beaker. Add 2M
NaOH to pH 3, using universal pH indicator paper. Separate the precipitate formed
then add 2 M NaOH to the filtrate until pH 8. Separate the precipitate formed and
wash the precipitate with distilled water until the pH of the washing water is
neutral, then the precipitate is heated in an oven at 110°C to constant weight.
Record the constant mass of the final precipitate obtained.

3. Results and Discussion

In this experiment, the practitioner performs the extraction of alumina from the
mud. Before carrying out the extraction process, the mud samples from this lake
were given special treatment first, namely in an oven, sieved, and calcined. The
sample is oven-dried until it has a constant weight. This is done with the aim of
reducing the moisture content of the coal fly ash. The water content in the sample is
minimized or even removed to remove chemical bonds from the water in the

Extraction of Alumina (Al2O3) from Mud |4

crystal. The presence of heat in the oven will cause the chemical bonds to become
tenuous and at a certain temperature the bonded atoms will move very freely
causing the breaking of chemical bonds which will occur during the calcination
process. The process is continued by sifting coal fly ash samples that have been
ovened. This process is carried out by first pounding the sample which then sieves
the sample to reduce the size of the fly ash where the smaller the particle size of the
fly ash, the faster the reaction between the alumina in the fly ash and the acid.
Calcination is carried out after the sieving process at a temperature of 7000C. This
calcination process is carried out to remove the content other than minerals in the
mud, as well as organic impurities contained in it. This process is also intended to
maintain the thermal stability of the fly ash itself and to enlarge the surface pores
(Retno and Winda, 2010). Calcination is carried out after the sieving process at a
temperature of 7000C. This calcination process is carried out to remove the content
other than minerals in the mud, as well as organic impurities contained in it. This
process is also intended to maintain the thermal stability of the fly ash itself and to
enlarge the surface pores (Retno and Winda, 2010). Calcination is carried out after
the sieving process at a temperature of 7000C. This calcination process is carried
out to remove the content other than minerals in the mud, as well as organic
impurities contained in it. This process is also intended to maintain the thermal
stability of the fly ash itself and to enlarge the surface pores (Retno and Winda,
2010).
In this process the raw material used is Bauxite.
1. The first stage is ore refining (concentration). Dirty ore (generally a mixture of
iron and silicon). These impurities are separated so as not to affect production.
NaOH is added to the ore, the amphoteric Al dissolves to form Aluminate, SiO2
also dissolves to form silicate ions. Al2O3 + 2NaOH + 3H2O2Na+[Al(OH)4]-SiO2
+ 2NaOH 2Na+ + SiO32- + H2O Insoluble impurities are separated by filtration
(such as FeO3). Furthermore, alumina is precipitated from a very alkaline (base)
solution of aluminum hydroxide. This deposition is done by:
• by bubbling in CO2 (an Acidic Oxide with a low PH Fatty Acid)

Extraction of Alumina (Al2O3) from Mud |5

 • by adding a solution with Al2O3 Silicate ions are removed from the solution 2Na
+ [Al(OH)4]- + CO2 2Al(OH)3(s) + 2Na +CO32-
The precipitate AL(OH)3 is heated to obtain pure Al2O3
Al(OH)3 → Al2O3 + H2O2.
Hydrochloric acid (HCl) has the highest level of reactivity compared to other
acids in the study because the alumina in this mud will easily dissolve in HCl in
both high (concentrated) and low (dilute) concentrations. The reactions that occur
are:
Al2O3(s)+ 6HCl(l)→ 2AlCl3(aq)+ 3H2O(l) The reaction that occurs between this
aluminum oxide (alumina) and HCl will produce AlCl3 salts which tend to be
acidic. In this reaction, alumina which is amphoteric shows its basic nature because
it reacts with a strong acid, namely HCl.

4. Conclusion
Based on the experimental results and data analysis, it can be concluded that:

References
Clark, Jim. Acid-Base Properties of Period 3 Oxides.http://www.chemis-
try.org/chemistry_materials/inorganic_chemistry1/elements_period_3/
properties_acid_base_of_oxide_oxide_period_3/. [6 November 2014]. 2007.
Cotton and Wilkinson. Basic Inorganic Chemistry. Sahati Sunarto's translation of Basic
Inorganic Chemistry (1976). Jakarta: University of Indonesia Press Publisher.
1989.

Harborne, JB Phytochemical Methods. Second Edition. Bandung: ITB. 1987.

Oxtoby, DW Modern Chemistry Fourth Edition, Volume Two. Jakarta: Erlangga. 2003.

Petrucci, Ralph H. Basic Chemistry Fourth Edition Volume 3. Jakarta: Erlangga. 1987.

Sari, Retno Fitriana, and Winda AP "Study of Recovering Alumina from Solid Waste
Sludge from Intan Banjar Regional Drinking Water Company (PDAM).

Extraction of Alumina (Al2O3) from Mud |6

 [Research proposal]. Banjarbaru : Faculty of Engineering, Lambung
Mangkurat University. 2010.

Sudarmadji, S., B. Haryono and Suhardi. Analytical Procedures for Foodstuffs and
Agriculture. Yogyakarta: Liberty. 1984.

Sugiarto, Kristian H& Retno DS Inorganic Metal Chemistry. Yogyakarta: Graha Ilmu.
2010

Wonorahardjo, Surjani. Chemical Separation Methods An Introduction. Jakarta:

Permata academy. 2013.

attachment

Observation table

No Reaction Observation Result

.
1. 2.5 g of mud
2.5 g mud + 15 mL NaOH 2 M  no changes
2.5 g mud + 15 mL 2 M NaOH (stir)  boils, a precipitate forms
2. Filtrate + HCl 2 M  yellow like real cooking oil, a
Filtrate + 2 M HCl (heat) black precipitate is formed
 yellow sticks to filter paper

weighing to- Mass Information

1. 2.2 g
2. 1.6 g Down
3. 0.25 g Ride
4. 0.25 g Constant

No Reaction Observation result

.
1. 2.5 g of mud

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 2.5 g mud + 15 mL HCl 2 M  chocolate mixture, a
2.5 g mud + 15 mL 2 M HCl (stir) precipitate is formed
 a mixture of chocolate formed
a precipitate
2. Filtrate + NaOH 2 M  brown filtrate, light brown
Filtrate + 2 M NaOH (heat) precipitate

weighing to- Mass Information

1. 0.15 g
2. 0.15 g Constant
3. 0.15 g Constant

Extraction of Alumina (Al2O3) from Mud |8