ENERGY is an important part in public life because virtually all human activity always requires energy. For example, for lighting, industrial processes or to move the equipment necessary household electrical energy; to move the vehicle either two or four wheels is needed gasoline, and it is still a lot of equipment in the vicinity of human life which it requires energy.
SOME of the energy used in Indonesia comes from fossil energy in the form of crude oil and natural gas. Energy can be also obtained from water-driven turbines generating electricity.
Are now widely known about natural potential in providing alternative energy from fossil energy, including energy from nuclear reactors, energy from wind power or energy from the sun, and so forth.
Why at this time to think about alternative energy for the future? This issue starts from the supply of fossil energy is limited and expected to be discharged in the next few years.
Thus, many countries, which those especially do not have supplies of fossil energy and highly dependent on exporting countries to oil and gas, have started to prepare ourselves to look for alternative energy and conducting national programs for energy savings.
Both these activities are performed in parallel with very big government involvement in the implementation of the program, especially in conducting socialization research and development in the field of energy.
At the annual meeting of experts silicon in May 2000 in Tromse, Norway, as reported Stren magazine November 9, 2000, it obtained the idea to use sand as a source of alternative energy future which is disclosed by Prof. Nobert Auner from the University of Frankfurt, Germany.
This idea was gained after he listened to a presentation from PT Tamme Gudrun Wacker, Berghausen, Germany, on "silicon and copper in the production of silicon dioxide is a dangerous mix?".
This theme was appointed based on experience Wacker Limited in 1998 that produce silane (intermediate products in the production process of silicon).
Silo storage and copper silicon dioxide showing a very high increase in temperature, from room temperature to 200 degrees Celsius and mixed materials in the silo has become very hard.
Furthermore, the silo was reduced to half its contents, in the hope the temperature will fall. However, the temperature in the silos still remain high, even temperatures in the middle of the silo was shown to 400 degrees Celsius.
The workers attempt to lower the temperature of the silo by way of spraying water on the outside of the silo, because it is dangerous when water reacts with silicon there will be a tremendous heat reaction, can even cause an explosion in the silo.
This effort has not succeeded, then it pursued the effort with a stream of nitrogen gas and argon gas to further lower the temperature of the silo. Businesses adopted this last show positive results, the temperature of the silo back to normal.
At the time of the distribution of argon gas into the silo, known as the "lava" in the ingredient mix in the silo.
This lava gives ideas for Prof Nobert Auner to use sand having the principal author silicon which it can be used as a source of alternative energy future.
This condition is the basic idea for using sand as a fuel. Based on the condition which it occurs in the Wacker Ltd. and the results of research at the University of Frankfurt, then there are several possibilities in the utilization of the sand.
1. Sand found in many places, both in the form of rocks or sand as found in the desert. The sand is mostly composed by silisiumdioksida, so it can be used as a raw material silicon production.
Siliciumdioxide processing into silicon or metal material which it is gray to use and environmentally friendly energy provided by nature, namely wind energy or energy from sunlight.
Silicon is non-toxic materials and it has the energy content such as carbon, which it is the core of fossil energy.
Energy is stored securely in silicon because of the chemical bond, and it can be moved to another place safely.
2. Pure silicon is the raw material industry worth for billions of dollars, because silicon is the raw material for producing computer chips and silicon.
Of silicone produced, it still can be produced several kinds of goods such as advanced materials manufacture of paints, artificial breast, cosmetic ingredients, contact-lens, ceramics, and tires.
When the production process silicon into silicon obtained liquid byproducts, Tetramethylsilan (TMS), has an energy fuel for gasoline from petroleum. If TMS is burned, it will produce energy and it is less CO2 than gasoline and clean sand.
Thus, TMS can be used as an alternative fuel future, although keep in mind sand produced during the combustion process.
3. Silicon reactor is a reactor-friendly environment, since the combustion process to generate energy, this reactor using O2 and N2 gases are widely available in the free air.
Heat generated from the combustion process can be used to run turbines which those can generate electrical energy.
In addition to thermal energy generated in the combustion process also produced sand and silicon nitrite, which it can be used to produce ceramic or glass. In addition, silicon nitrite can be used as scratch-resistant coating materials, air humidity, fire, and acid.
In addition it also has the composition of gas generated for 80 percent of the gases N2, CO2, and O2 is similar to the composition of the gas in free air. So it is not much cause pollution problems.
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