Metal silicon, also known as crystalline silicon or industrial silicon, is a product smelted from quartz and coke in an electric furnace. Its main component is silicon, accounting for about 98%, with the remaining impurities being iron, aluminum, calcium, etc. Metal silicon has properties similar to germanium, lead, and tin, exhibiting semiconductor characteristics, but it is insoluble in acid at room temperature and soluble in alkali. Metal silicon blocks typically have a particle size of 10-100mm. The appearance of metal silicon blocks usually presents as a silver-gray crystalline structure with a relatively smooth surface, free from roughness or protrusions caused by oxidation products. During the production of metal silicon, there are also some by-products, such as micro silica, silicon edge scraps, silicon slag, and silicon carbon alloy.
- Silicon carbon alloy (Si-C Alloy), is also known as high-carbon silicon due to its high carbon content and noble metal content. Silicon carbon alloy manufacturers melt and refine silica containing silicon elements and coke at high temperatures to produce silicon carbon alloy, mainly containing silicon, iron, carbon, and other trace elements. Silicon carbon alloy is mainly used in the steelmaking process, where it can play a role in deoxidation and deslagging. The main reason for achieving good deoxidation and slagging removal effects is the indispensable role played by the internal silicon and carbon elements. Silicon reacts with oxygen in the molten steel to form silicon dioxide, achieving the purpose of deoxidation, while carbon can effectively remove slag and increase the hardness of the molten steel. Therefore, silicon carbon alloy is a commonly purchased metallurgical material in steel mills.
- Microsilica, also called silica fume or silicon dioxide ultrafine powder, is a gray or gray-white powder with a refractory temperature >1600°C and a bulk density of 200-250 kg/m3. It is mainly used as a cement or concrete admixture, refractory material additive, metallurgical pellet binder, and chemical product dispersant.
- Silicon edge scraps are colorless and transparent polymers with high-temperature resistance, chemical stability, high dielectric constant, and low dielectric loss. Silicon edge scraps are commonly used in semiconductor packaging, with high interface adhesion and heat resistance. Additionally, silicon edge scraps are widely used in optoelectronics, medical devices, aerospace, and other fields.
- Silicon slag can be divided into ferrosilicon slag and metal silicon slag. It is the residue left after the extraction of silicon ore, containing a considerable amount of silicon. Depending on its application, it can be categorized into industrial silicon slag, solar silicon slag, semiconductor silicon slag, etc. Silicon slag itself has significant value. It can be used for crushing and sorting to extract metal silicon, reused as a deoxidizer in steelmaking, used for steel slag refining, pig iron production, ordinary casting, and electric furnace refining of stainless steel as a reducing agent.
HSferroalloy is located in China, the world’s major silicon production country, and has unique advantages in resource integration. Coupled with the advantages of the region’s power resources and low raw material costs, the silicon metal price produced by HS is more competitive.
