Parameters Optimization in Manufacturing Nanopowder Bioceramics of Eggshell with Pulverisette 6 Machine using Taguchi and ANOVA Method

Bioceramics is essential, especially for clinical application. Many resources can be explored to obtain bioceramics. Household wastes such as the chicken eggshell is the potential one. From waste eggshell, Hydroxiapatite (HA) can be extracted to produce bioceramics. Most bioceramics materials are formed in the fine grain powder. The size of the grain should be in nanosized. However, it is very difficult to produce such size if only depending to one processing method such as Ball Milling process. But, the windows of possibility are still open. This is due to many previous studies limiting the process parameters at certain magnitude. There are no evidence that the process parameters had been set at their optimum. Therefore, this study investigated the optimum parameters of Ball Milling for the manufacturing of nano-powder of bioceramics from local materials such as Eggshell that had been calcinated at 900 degrees C. A Taguchi method with a L-9 orthogonal array and Analysis of Variances (ANOVA) were utilized. The Ball milling machine was set at 3 levels for each of observed parameters (e.g. Milling rate, Milling time and eggshell powder to weight ratio (PBR). This parameter was employed to produce fine grain of HA powder. The Mean Analysis showed that higher milling rate, longer milling time and lower PBR are responsible to reduce the grain size of the powder. With those combination, 1.33 mu m of powder grain size can be achieved. However, there is a contradictive fact revealed from the experimental results, whereas the moderate PBR had an effect in producing fine grain powder. But, this can be neglected since the contribution of PBR is relatively lower. The contribution percentage of PBR was only 6.64% or less significant due to having a P-value >= 0.05 (95% of Confidential Factors). Thus, it can be inferred that machine parameters have significant effect in producing nano grain sizes of bioceramics powder.