Cradle to Gate
Identity ID
03b45484-8eb8-415e-823e-7e5e1b4deedc
Materials
Associated ID
d568b7d8-7ca1-44fe-a483-5946e1d6e38b
Included activities starts
Included activities ends
Description
The downstream products of industrial silicon are mainly polycrystalline silicon, organosilicon, and aluminum alloys, with end applications primarily in electronic devices, daily chemicals, photovoltaics, and semiconductors. This dataset includes material inputs, solid waste, waste, air emissions, and water emissions. Total emissions encompass direct process emissions as well as emissions from the embodied energy of raw materials and electricity. Infrastructure such as production equipment manufacturing and plant construction is excluded from the system boundary of the dataset. The life cycle inventory data were derived from literature sources and partially corrected and supplemented by reference to industry statistics, standards, and emission factor handbooks. The production of metallurgical-grade industrial silicon employs carbothermal reduction. The original method involves processes including batching, feeding, electric arc furnace, casting, demolding, and crushing.
Activity Description
The production process of industrial silicon using the electrothermal reduction method includes batching, feeding, submerged arc furnace, casting, demolding, and crushing processes.
Process Description
The silicon content of industrial silicon is required to be no less than 99%, primarily sourced from quartzite and vein quartz, and represents the first step in the crystalline silicon photovoltaic cell industry chain. The downstream products of industrial silicon are mainly polysilicon, organosilicon, and aluminum alloys, with end applications primarily in electronic devices, daily chemical products, photovoltaics, and semiconductors.
Time period
2010
2026
Geography
China
Macroeconomic value
Business-as-Usual
Data validation
Yes
Technology
Current Technology
Technology comment
The production of metallurgical-grade silicon employs the carbothermal reduction method, in which carbonaceous reductants such as charcoal, sawdust, coal, or petroleum coke react with silica at high temperatures in an electric arc furnace. The carbothermal reduction reaction is represented by the chemical equation: SiO2 + 2C -> Si + 2CO, where the generated CO further reacts with oxygen to produce CO2, which is emitted into the atmosphere. The production process mainly consists of the following steps: batching, feeding, ore reduction furnace, casting, demolding, crushing, and packaging.