The Research Council of Norway has granted Elkem NOK 16 (approximately $1.8 million) to develop a new concept for silicon production where all direct carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions are eliminated. Elkem is reportedly a global leader in silicon-based advanced materials. The company aims to be part of the solution to combat climate change and to be one of the winners in the green transition. The company reports that it already uses 83% renewable electricity in its operations.

Silicon production still generates significant CO₂ emissions. The annual direct CO₂ emissions from Elkem’s smelters are 2.1 million tons CO₂, which corresponds to approximately 90% of Elkem’s total direct emissions. In its climate roadmap, Elkem has set goals of reducing its CO₂ emissions by 28% by 2031 and achieving carbon-neutrality by 2050. The granted R&D project focuses on Elkem’s 2050 goal of exploring how to achieve carbon neutrality at the lowest environmental footprint and competitive costs.

“Elkem’s goal with this project is to develop a concept that eliminates all direct CO₂ emissions from silicon production. Carbon oxides in the off gas from the smelting furnaces will be captured, converted to solid carbon, and reused in the process, in short—silicon production with carbon looping. If and when we succeed, this may become a game changer for the global silicon industry. We believe that this is a strong candidate to become a main technology for carbon neutral silicon production beyond 2050,” said Elkem’s senior vice president for Technology, Håvard Moe.

“The development of this concept is a prioritized task in Elkem’s long-term climate strategy. Industrialization of the concept will result in vastly reduced CO₂ emissions from Elkem’s silicon production, giving Elkem increased competitiveness in its markets. Elkem may also license the technology to other manufacturers, enabling silicon production at minimal climate and environmental footprints globally,” he added.

The project will run from 2022-2024. Elkem is project owner and Aasgeir Valderhaug is project manager. The Norwegian R&D institutes SINTEF and NORCE, and the pilot test center Future Materials, will be research partners. The experiments on laboratory scale will be performed at SINTEF, while the experiments on bench scale will be performed at Future Materials at the Fiskaa site in Kristiansand, Norway. Elkem researchers will be involved in planning, execution, and evaluation of the experiments. Elkem will also be responsible for process modeling, where NORCE will have a key role.

Learn more at www.elkem.com.