Characterization of Calcined Badau Belitung Kaolin as Potential Raw Materials of Zeolite

摘要

This article presents the characterization of Badau Belitung kaolin after activated with NH_4Cl solution and calcined at 300, 500 and 700 °C. This study is needed to understand kaolin behavior before converted into the zeolite. Badau Belitung kaolin was activated using NH_4Cl solutions, with a molarity of 0.5, 1, and 2 M, and then stirred for 24 h. This activation was done to remove the impurities of the Belitung kaolin, such as iron and titanium. After the activation, the kaolin was neutralized and dried. The dried kaolin calcined at 300, 500, and 700 °C. These samples were characterized using FTIR, XRD, and SEM to gather information on how the calcination temperatures were affecting the samples' characteristics. This article also presents the loss of ignition (Lol) percentages after the calcination processes. The results of this study indicated that metakaolin starting to form at 500 °C, and at the temperature of 700 °C, the kaolin fully transformed into metakaolin.