Search Results (4)

This study investigates the potential of graphite waste (GW) from the Acheson furnace as a sustainable and cost-effective anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Conventional anode materials face challenges such as energy-intensive production processes and reliance on virgin graphite resources, leading to high costs and environmental concerns. GW from the Acheson furnace, which already possesses high carbon purity (98.5%–99.9%) and crystallinity (93.5%), offers a promising alternative by eliminating the need for graphitization and extensive purification. Through spheronization and carbon coating, GW was successfully optimized to achieve electrochemical properties comparable to commercial anode materials (CAM), including an initial Coulombic efficiency of 85.1% and a specific capacity of 348.9 mAh/g. These findings suggest that GW from the Acheson furnace represents a viable pathway toward cost-effective and environmentally friendly LIB anodes. Full article

Silicon carbide, known for its distinct chemical and physical properties, is increasingly recognized as a critical material in sectors such as energy, space, and defense. Traditional production methods like the Acheson process are energy-intensive and costly, both in terms of investment and maintenance. Additionally, the concentrated nature of its manufacturing can lead to supply bottlenecks, hindering technological progress in key areas. To address these issues, this paper proposes a circular economy approach to silicon carbide production, leveraging the ecological challenge of rice waste disposal to create a new source of silica materials. It includes an evaluation of the economic and technological feasibility of this method and introduces a multidimensional composite index to identify potential early adopters for large-scale implementation. This innovative approach not only reduces reliance on critical minerals but also offers a solution to managing agricultural waste. Full article

Around the world, silicon carbide (SiC) is used as a raw material in several engineering applications because of its various beneficial properties. Currently, though the Acheson method is one of the most emblematic to manufacture SiC, the direct carbonization of metallic silicon is simple and beneficial. In this reaction, silicon wafer cutting sludge can be used as an alternative silicon source material. The silicon wafer sludge contains silicon, ethylene glycol, cooling water, and a small amount of impurities. In this study, SiC was synthesized using silicon wafer sludge by a carbothermal process. In a typical experiment, the silicon sludge was mixed with carbon at different molar ratios. Then, the mixture was turned into pellets, which were placed in alumina crucibles and heat-treated at a temperature from 1400 °C to 1600 °C to fabricate SiC. To deduce the optimum condition for the synthesis of SiC, an investigation was carried out on the effects of different mixing ratios, temperatures, and heating times. To ensure sufficient carbonization, excess carbon was mixed, and the synthesized SiC was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Subsequently, purification of the synthesized SiC products by oxidation of excess carbon was performed. The removal of extra carbon could be confirmed by XRD and attenuated total reflectance (ATR) spectroscopy. This process can give basic information for the development of a technology to produce SiC using recycling Si wafer cutting sludge waste. Full article

Airborne particulate matter in the silicon carbide (SiC) industry is a known health hazard. The aims of this study were to elucidate whether the particulate matter generated inside the Acheson furnace during active operation is representative of the overall particulate matter in the furnace hall, and whether the Acheson furnaces are the main sources of ultrafine particles (UFP) in primary SiC production. The number concentration of ultrafine particles was evaluated using an Electrical Low Pressure Impactor (ELPI^TM, Dekati Ltd., Tampere, Finland), a Fast Mobility Particle Sizer (FMPS^TM, TSI, Shoreview, MN, USA) and a Condensation Particle Counter (CPC, TSI, Shoreview, MN, USA). The results are discussed in terms of particle number concentration, particle size distribution and are also characterized by means of electron microscopy (TEM/SEM). Two locations were investigated; the industrial Acheson process furnace hall and a pilot furnace hall; both of which represent an active operating furnace. The geometric mean of the particle number concentration in the Acheson process furnace hall was 7.7 × 10⁴ particles/cm³ for the UFP fraction and 1.0 × 10⁵ particles/cm³ for the submicrometre fraction. Particulate matter collected at the two sites was analysed by electron microscopy. The PM from the Acheson process furnace hall is dominated by carbonaceous particles while the samples collected near the pilot furnace are primarily rich in silicon. Full article