silicon metal
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Silicon metal production
What is silicon metal
Silicon is a non-metallic element, gray, hard and brittle, with a content of about 26% of the earth's crust. Metal silicon (lump & powder), is also known as crystalline silicon or industrial silicon. It is generally used as an iron-based alloy additive.
Metal silicon can be divided into metallurgical grade and chemical grade.
Silicon metal manufacturing process
How is silicon metal made ? Method for producing metal silicon: Silica is used as a raw material. The carbonaceous material acts as a reducing agent. Metal silicon is smelted by a submerged arc furnace. The content of Fe in the smelted metal silicon is less than 0.5%. Its chemical reaction equation is:
SiO2 + 2C → Si + 2CO
The silicon thus obtained has a purity of 97% to 98%. Generally used in the metallurgical industry. If you want to get higher grade silicon, you need to refine it to remove impurities. Thus, metal silicon having a purity of 99.7% to 99.8% is obtained.
Silcon metal specification
Silicon metal grades
The chemical composition of metallic silicon is generally silicon, ferro, aluminum, and calcium. Therefore, the grade of metal silicon is divided according to the three main impurity contents of iron, aluminum and calcium. For example:
In the metal silicon grade 553, the contents of ferro, aluminum, and calcium are 0.5%, 0.5%, and 0.3%.
Commonly used grades are 553/441/3303/2202/411/421 and so on. What brand should be used specifically depends on what field the user is using and what effect he wants to achieve.
Metallurgical grade silicon metal specification
Typical sizing : 10 - 100 mm (90% minimum) / Analysis :
| Grade | Si | Fe | Al | Ca | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 553 | 98.50 | 0.50 | 0.50 | 0.30 | - |
| 441 | 99.00 | 0.40 | 0.40 | 0.10 | - |
| 3303 | 99.00 | 0.30 | 0.30 | 0.03 | 25/40/60 |
| 2202 | 99.00 | 0.20 | 0.20 | 0.02 | 25/40/60 |
| 1101 | 99.20 | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.01 | 25 |
| Off grade | 96.00 | 2.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |
| %min. | %max. | %max. | %max. | ppm |
Chemical grade silicon metal specification
Typical sizing : 2 – 25 mm / Analysis :
| Grade | Si | Fe | Al | Ca | P | Ti | Ni | Mn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 521 | 99.00 | 0.50 | 0.15~0.25 | 0.10 | 50 | 500 | 50 | 300 |
| 5203 | 99.00 | 0.50 | 0.15~0.25 | 0.03 | - | - | - | - |
| 421 | 99.00 | 0.40 | 0.14~0.19 | 0.10 | 50 | 500 | 50 | 300 |
| 411 | 99.00 | 0.40 | 0.10 | 0.10 | 50 | - | - | - |
| %min. | %max. | %max. | %max. | ppm max. | ppm max. | ppm max. | ppm max. |
Silicon Metal Powder specification
| Size | Fe | Al | Ca | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20~60 mesh | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 20 |
| 60~200 mesh | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 20 |
| 0.20~1mm mesh | 0.20 | 0.20 | 0.20 | 30 |
| 42~325 mesh | 0.30 | 0.30 | 0.30 | - |
| -325 mesh | 0.40 | 0.40 | 0.50 | - |
| mm/mesh | %max. | %max. | %max. | ppm max |
Some tips for silicon metal buyers
1. Metal silicon has two shapes of block and powder. About the particle size, the metal silicon factory can be produced according to the needs of users.
2. The common package is 1Mt/Bag. It can also be packaged according to the user's requirements.
3. The minimum order quantity is 20-24MT (But we also accept LCL).
Particle size according to users requirement
Ton-packed
Minimum order 20-24MT
Silicon metal uses
1. Aluminum alloy
It can improve the already useful properties of aluminum such as castability, hardness and strength. Adding silicon metal to aluminium alloys makes them strong and light.
So, they are increasingly used in the automotive industry. Used to replace heavier cast iron parts. Automotive parts such as engine blocks and tire rims are the most common cast aluminum silicon parts.
2. Solar industry and electronics industry.
Silicon metal can also be used as essential material in the solar and electronics industries. For examples, it can be used in the manufacture of solar panels, semi-conductors and silicon chips.
Aluminum alloy
Solar industry
Electronics industry
Silicon metal manufacturers & suppliers
Silicon metal producers in China
China is the largest producer of metal silicon. New capacity in the future will also be concentrated in China. There are many metal silicon companies and factories in China. Xinjiang, Yunnan, Henan, Sichuan, etc. are all areas with high yield of metal silicon.
Wanhua Metal is located in Anyang City, Henan Province, China. It has 20 years of production experience. High quality metal silicon products can be produced according to user requirements.
Learn about metal silicon manufacturer Wanhua Metal >>
Metal silicon market
From a global perspective, China is the largest producer of metal silicon. In 2016, China's metal silicon production was 2.1 million tons, accounting for 67% of the world. The US produces 150,000 tons, Brazil produces 260,000 tons, and Europe produces 420,000 tons.
In the next few years, the global production capacity of metal silicon will be concentrated in China. It is estimated that the global metal silicon production will be 3.66 million tons and 3.84 million tons respectively from 2019 to 2020.
The metal silicon industry is expected to increase its exports . In 2016, China's exports of metal silicon reached 700,000 tons, and in 2017, exports increased to 810,000 tons. For overseas metal silicon, there is no large-scale expansion plan. So, the export volume of metal silicon will continue to increase year by year.