Enhancing Salt Purification in Oli’o Village, East Nusa Tenggara: A Case Study on Optimizing Precipitating Agent Addition Methods and Salinity Levels

The East Nusa Tenggara province holds significant potential as a contributor to Indonesia's national salt production.However, salt production in this area often needs to meet quality standards due to the high presence of impurities, such as calcium, magnesium, and sulfate.The limitations in technology and salt purity in Indonesia necessitate the country to import high-quality salt.This research aims to develop and enhance the purity of NaCl in the salt production of Oli'o Village through the addition of chemical substances.The method employed to improve salt purity is the precipitation method, utilizing precipitants Na2CO3, NaOH, and BaCl2 to precipitate calcium, magnesium, and sulfate impurities.The primary research involved adding precipitants in a 1:1 stoichiometric ratio and stirring for 45 minutes.Experimental variables encompassed the method of precipitant addition and salinity levels (16,20,23,25 Be).The analysis of impurity concentrations before and after the addition of precipitants was conducted through complexometric titration for calcium and magnesium, argentometric titration for NaCl, and turbidimetry for sulfate.The research reveals that the direct addition of the three precipitants yields the best results.In terms of salinity variations, it is observed that salinity at 16 Be provides the highest purity compared to other salinity levels.The increase in salinity enhances impurity concentrations, decreasing the impurity removal percentage's effectiveness.