Silicon & Derivatives

Silicon metal – climate-friendly produced with many applications

The Silicon & Derivatives segment is divided into the Quartzite and Silicon Metal business areas. Silicon metal is used, among other things, as an aluminum alloy element and in the chemical industry for the production of siloxane and silicone. In addition, there is a strong long-term increase in demand for silicon metal and the silicon powder that occurs during production, among other things due to new applications in the context of climate protection. And we produce this raw material, which is so important for electronic components, solar systems, batteries and many other innovative products, close to our customers in Europe and on the basis of 100% renewable energies: Our silicon metal plant of the Group company PCC BakkiSilicon hf. is located in northern Iceland, near the small town of Húsavík, and uses electricity from the rich geothermal resources Iceland is known for.

In addition, in the Silicon & Derivatives segment, we also manage the quartzite quarry of PCC Silicon S.A. in Zagórze, Poland. Quartzite is an essential starting material for our silicon metal production and the Group’s own supply of this raw material makes our plant independent of market fluctuations.

Find out more about our silicon metal plant here >>

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Silicon metal and its applications

Silicon metal and silicon powder are used in a variety of applications in the chemical industry, for example for the production of silicones and silanes, it is used to produce high-strength aluminum alloys for the automotive industry, for example, and is also a main raw material for further processing in the manufacture of photovoltaic modules.

In addition, there is a long-term increase in demand for silicon metal due to new applications in the context of climate changeovers. Together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Freiburg, we are developing battery anode materials to increase the performance of lithium-ion batteries, the basic components of electromobility. And this is just one of several parallel development activities for silicon-based products, especially for battery and photovoltaic applications with their enormous growth potential.

Climate-friendly silicon metal production

The production process is very energy-intensive, which is why Iceland, with its rich geothermal and hydroelectric power sources and comparatively low electricity costs, was the obvious choice. By supplying the production with electricity exclusively from Iceland’s rich renewable energy sources, our plant has significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions than comparable plants worldwide. As a result, the carbon footprint of applications that use the silicon metal we produce in Iceland as a feedstock or component is also significantly smaller.

Quartzite and its applications

The Silicon & Derivatives segment is rounded off by the quartzite quarry and the associated processing plant of PCC Silicium S.A. in Zagórze, Poland. The quartzite mined there is used as filling material for the construction of roads and railway lines, but is also supplied to the ferrosilicon industry. In addition, we use some of the quartzite in our silicon metal production plant. Quartzite is one of the essential starting materials for the production of silicon metal.