Silicon metal is a noneferroalloy product that has a silvery gray appearance with a metallic luster. Depending on the application, silicon metal can be divided into chemical-grade silicon metal and industrial-grade silicon metal. XLS Metals has extensive experience in the production of high-purity silicon metal, from the selection of raw materials to the production process, all controlled by professional technicians, and has the ability to produce Si ≥ 99.99% high-purity silicon metal, which can minimize impurities in silicon metal.
Silicon metal is a type of monomeric silicon, so there is no metallic silicon in natural ores. Silicon in nature is usually found in the form of oxides, such as silicon dioxide. Silicon metal is not a metal, it is mainly smelted from quartz stone containing silicon dioxide at high temperatures, and silicon metal with high silicon content is smelted by reducing silicon from silicon dioxide using carbides such as petroleum coke or semi-coke as a reducing agent. At present, China is the country that produces silicon in abundance, due to the natural advantages of raw materials, making China the main producer of silicon metal. According to the global silicon metal export share analysis survey in 2021, China's annual silicon metal export volume accounts for 83% of the total global silicon metal export volume, which is about 777,800 tons.
Silicon metal is a very important furnace additive in the production of aluminum products, which can effectively enhance the plasticity and wear resistance of aluminum products. In the production of silicon aluminum alloy and casting aluminum alloy, silicon metal can enhance the flow properties and thermal properties of aluminum, thus making aluminum products have better casting properties and weldability.
Silicon metal is processed and purified as a raw material for the production of silicone rubber, silicone resin and silicone oil. Silicone rubber purified from silicon metal has good elasticity and high-temperature resistance, and is used to manufacture medical supplies and high-temperature-resistant gasket products. Silicone resins purified from silicon metal are mainly used in the production of insulating and high-temperature resistant paints. Silicone oil is used as a raw material for the production of lubricants, polishers and fluid springs.
High-purity silicon metal is an important semiconductor material. High-purity silicon elements are added to monocrystalline silicon, resulting in silicon semiconductors, which are important raw materials for the production of solar cells and electronic components.
The use of metallic silicon allows the production of highly transparent glass fibers, and lasers are transmitted numerous times in glass fiber tubes, replacing bulky cables. And the glass fiber made with metallic silicon, as the raw material of optical fiber, has better communication ability and can transmit 256 phone calls at the same time without electromagnetic interference, and has high confidentiality.
First, raw materials for the production of silicon metal need to be prepared, they are quartz stone, petroleum coke or semi-coke, and steel scrap. The production of high-purity silicon metal requires a high level of raw materials. Since quartzite is the main source of Si in silicon metal, quartzite with a high degree of grayness and few impurities should be selected as the raw material for silicon metal. At the same time, the steel chips are required not to be alloy steel, such as stainless steel, and are required to be low carbon steel, thus reducing the impurity content in silicon metal. After preparing the raw materials, the electric arc furnace is heated and the raw materials are placed in sequence, during which the charging time and furnace temperature are strictly controlled. Charging time and furnace temperature are important factors affecting the purity of silicon metal. When the raw material is heated and reaches its melting point, a metal solution will be formed. By reducing the impurities in the metal solution, a higher purity silicon metal solution will be obtained, and the solution will be introduced into a pre-prepared mold, and after waiting for cooling, the silicon metal will be processed into blocks, granules, powders, and other shapes and packaged for storage.
| Grades | Specifications | |||
| Chemical composition(%) | ||||
| Si | Fe | Al | Ca | |
| Min | Max | |||
| Silicon Metal 553 | 98.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.3 |
| Silicon Metal 441 | 99.0 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| Silicon Metal 421 | 99.0 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Silicon Metal 3303 | 99.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.03 |
| Silicon Metal 2202 | 99.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.02 |
| Silicon Metal 1101 | 99.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.01 |
| Off grade silicon | 96.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 |
| Size:1-10mm, 3-8mm, 10-50mm, 10-100mm, 200 mesh, 325 mesh, | ||||
