SisAl Pilot – Innovative pilot for Silicon production with low environmental impact using secondary Aluminium and silicon raw materials
The project aims to demonstrate a patented novel industrial process to produce silicon (Si, a critical raw material), enabling a shift from today’s carbothermic Submerged Arc Furnace (SAF) process to a far more environmentally and economically sustainable alternative: an aluminothermic reduction of quartz in slag that utilizes secondary raw materials such as aluminium (Al) EoL scrap and dross, as replacements for carbon reductants used today.
SisAl Pilot represents a path-breaking approach, and a strong contribution to “circularity” through industrial symbiosis where the Al industry will act as both a raw material supplier and end user to the Si industry. Across sectors, SisAl Pilot will give substantial reductions in material yield losses, enhanced valorisation of waste- and by-product streams (SiO2 fines, Si skulls, dross, scrap etc), at a 3 X lower energy consumption and radically lower emissions of CO2 and harmful pollutants, at a considerably lower cost.
First year project results
During this first year, the project successfully performed small-scale experiments in WP2 used as input in the upcoming pilot trials at Elkem. The separation of the different compounds through hydrometallurgical treatment has been optimized in WP3 and the modelling team in WP5 has created initial HSC and LCA models in which data from small-scale experiments have been used to verify the models. Data from the pilot experiments in WP2 and WP3 will be included when these will be available.
Second year project results
SisAl Pilot is approaching the end of the second year and thereby also the mid-term of the project. Looking back at the time that has passed many promising results have been produced at different scales by the project partners both on the pyro- and hydrometallurgical side. The mass flow models, LCA models and business cases have been improved, which together with the experimental and modelling results have given us more confidence in the implantation and commercialisation of the SisAl pilot process. This year has also given us many positive memories from meeting partners at different locations in Europe and also at Mintek in South Africa. We hope that you will enjoy reading each partner’s summery of their achievements during this year and last but not least we would like to thank all our partners for very fruitful and successful collaboration that we hope and believe will continue during the third and fourth year of the project.
