Recently, Professor Liu Wanyi from the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Ningxia University shared insights during a meeting with representatives from over 60 ferroalloy production enterprises in the region. He pointed out that the annual production capacity of ferroalloys in Ningxia is around 1.2 million tons, with approximately 30,000 tons of silicon micro-powder generated as a byproduct. If the silicon dioxide content in this micro-powder exceeds 92%, and impurities are effectively removed, it could be sold domestically at a price of about 2,000 yuan per ton, generating an annual value of up to 60 million yuan. Further purification would even allow for higher-value exports to international markets.
Professor Liu expressed disappointment, questioning why some ferroalloy companies treated this valuable material as waste. Later, he learned that it wasn’t a lack of interest in recovery, but rather a lack of capability. The industry is well aware that the dust emitted from submerged arc furnaces during the production of ferrosilicon and industrial silicon causes severe atmospheric pollution. These fine particles are also linked to high rates of lung cancer. However, this dust isn’t worthless—it can be transformed into a highly sought-after material known as silica fume, which offers both economic and environmental benefits when properly recycled.
Lan Lanjun, an engineer at Ningxia Rongsheng Ferroalloy Group, explained that the cost of producing pure silicon powder is 500 yuan per ton, while the operating cost of the recovery system is as high as 700 yuan per ton. This economic imbalance has forced many companies to shut down their recovery equipment. Despite investing 32 million yuan in 2003 to install a dust recycling system, the company only recovers 5,000 tons of silicon micropowder annually, with a purity level between 85% and 90%. After three years, the investment remains unrecovered.
Some companies with recovery systems only operate them during inspections or at night, leading to both resource loss and environmental pollution. Kong Lingbin from the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Environmental Monitoring Brigade noted that this practice is common and harmful. According to an industry insider, more than 20 of the 60 ferroalloy companies in the region have stopped recovering silicon micropowder, while others barely maintain operations. Only Helanshan Ferroalloy Co., Ltd. has managed to recover it more effectively.
Additionally, the limited domestic market for silicon micropowder has dampened corporate enthusiasm for recycling. Rong Shengjun from Rongsheng Group explained that China’s building materials industry lacks awareness of the material’s potential. Most companies don’t understand its value and use very little of it. In Ningxia, silicon micropowder is mainly used in large-scale projects like the Three Gorges Dam and the Qinghai-Tibet Highway. In contrast, countries like Japan and the U.S. require silicon micropowder in construction materials to improve flexibility, creating a much larger global market. However, due to the inability to scale production, most Ningxia-based companies struggle to export their products. Even though international prices for high-purity silicon micropowder (over 98%) reach $8,000 per ton, local producers often sell their lower-purity product at a discount to Norway’s Elkem Group, who then resells it globally.
Shizuishan City, a major hub for silicon raw materials in China, is rich in silicon micropowder resources. To turn this into a viable industry, the key lies in resolving the conflict between recovery costs and environmental protection. Professor Liu Wanyi concluded that the government should not simply enforce recovery mandates on enterprises. Instead, it should support the promotion of silicon micropowder applications, expand its market, and help ferroalloy companies find sustainable ways to recycle this valuable material, thereby boosting both economic returns and environmental protection.
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