Technical and economical evaluation of high-quality slag remover production from Indonesian perlite rock

Abstract

Abstract Perlite is a volcanic mineral that potentially used as a functional material in various fields of application. One of the applications is as a slag remover material used in the metal casting industry. In present work, perlite rock from Padang Pariaman, West Sumatra, Indonesia has been used for production of slag remover, with a capacity of 20 ton/day or 6,000 ton/year. Technical aspects, such as characterization of raw materials, testing of process equipment, and characterization of the product, have been carried out. In conventional slag remover production, the drying process was carried out by sun-dried, so it takes a long time and sometimes the specified moisture content is not achieved due to weather factors. Meanwhile, in this work, a rotary dryer was used so that the drying process can be done faster. The resulting slag remover has a particle size of -10 mesh to +60 mesh and a moisture content of less than 0.5%, so that it meets the industrial specifications. Economic calculations were also carried out by calculating the investment costs, operating costs, bank interest, and inflation. With a production capacity of 6,000 ton/year and 15 years of project period, the financial feasibility analysis was as follows: NPV of IDR18,722,373,778; IRR of 34%; and PP of 4 years. Based on the analysis, the production of high-quality slag remover from Indonesian perlite was feasible.