Identification of Rare Earth Metal Content in Fly Ash and Bottom Ash Coal Combustion of PT Bosowa Energi PLTU Jeneponto Regency

Abstract

Rare Earth Metals are the formation of fifteen elements and two other elements, namely scandium (Sc) and yttrium (y). Rare earth metals are known for their presence in coal minerals and coal ash residue from coal combustion at PLTU PT Bosowa Energi. This study aims to determine the rare earth elements in Fly Ash and Bottom Ash. The method stages of this research are sampling at the power plant, sample preparation, and sample testing using the ICP-OES method. Based on the results of the ICP-OES test, six rare earth elements were detected in the fly ash. Bottom ash samples, namely Lanthanum (La), Gadolinium (Gd), Neodymium (Nd), Serium (Ce), Samarium (Sm), and Terbium (Tb). The dominant concentrations of these rare earth metals are La and Ce, while the lowest concentration is Tb. The conclusion of this study is that the content of rare earth elements in fly ash is Lanthanum (La) = 34.20 ppm to 65.10 ppm; Gadolinium (Gd) = 7.30 ppm to 8.10 ppm; Neodymium (Nd) = 7.90 ppm to 27.60 ppm; Serium (Ce) = 30.10 ppm to 96.60 ppm; Samarium (Sm) = 4.50 ppm to 8.00 ppm; Terbium (Tb) = 1.10 ppm to 1.30 ppm. The content of rare earth elements in bottom ash is Lanthanum (La) = 33.50 ppm to 38.10 ppm; Gadolinium (Gd) = 4.80 ppm to 5.90 ppm; Neodymium (Nd) = 7.90 ppm to 27.60 ppm; Serium (Ce) = 10.90 ppm to 11.00 ppm; Samarium (Sm) of 6.40 ppm to 7.00 ppm; Terbium (Tb) = 1.20 ppm to 1.40 ppm.