The resources of silicon metal in Earth is abundant. In crustal the proportion of silicon is 26.4%, ranking second after oxygen. Elemental silicon does not exist in nature. In addition to carbonates and phosphates, most of the minerals in the earth’s crust are rocks containing silicon. Almost all silicon compounds in nature exist in the form of silica called silica and silicates derived therefrom. Now we know that there are more than 200 different variants of silica found in nature. There are also thousands of silicate ores consist of silica with oxides of other elements. In addition to silicon in minerals, many plants also contain silicon dioxide. The silicon content of grass plant stalks is particularly high. Silicon dioxide also exists in the connective tissues of animals.
Silica and Quartz Resources
The raw materials for the production of industrial silicon are silica and quartz. Quartz is a natural pure silica mineral. Common primary quartz minerals in the earth’s crust exist in the form of mineral layers, mineral nests, flat ore bodies and other structures. Moreover, crystals of this mineral with different particle sizes are often cemented together. The density of quartz is 2590~2650kg/m³, and the Mohs hardness is 7. After a long and complex process of change, rocks almost entirely composed of quartz appear in the earth’s crust. This kind of rock has a stable structure that is different from quartz sand raw ore.
Due to changes in the earth’s crust, some cementing material such as clay or other silica-containing gel cements the quartz particles into one body and transforms into sandstone. This sandstone further changes to generate quartz-like sandstone, and finally there is no connection between the quartz particles and the cementing structure. Different silicas gradually become dense and homogeneous large pieces. These silica and quartz stone large lumps are suitable to produce silicon metal and ferrosilicon. In order to obtain good technical and economic indicators, in addition to the high purity of the silicon oxide-containing minerals used for silicon metal smelting, it also requires high mechanical strength, Good thermal stability and suitable particle size composition. High purity silicon oxide are suitable to produce high purity silicon like Silicon metal 1101, silicon metal 2202, etc.
Resources of Silicon Metal in China
Brazil is one of the countries with the largest silica and quartz resources in the world and is also the most important quartz and silica mining country. The United States, Canada, and Russia also have abundant silicon metal raw material resources. China is also one of the countries with rich silica resources in the world, and silica mines suits for the production of industrial silicon distribute in many areas. These silica mines are distributed in many provinces, such as Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Sichuan and other regions. The silica resources in these areas have large reserves and high grade, and have high economic value and development potential.