Silicon metal news

1. use.

  Silicon metal (SI) is an important metal material with a wide range of applications. Here are some of the main uses of silicon metal:

1. Semiconductor materials: Silicon metal is one of the most important semiconductor materials in the electronics industry, which is used to manufacture various electronic components, such as transistors, solar cells, photovoltaic cells, photoelectric sensors, etc. In the electronics industry, the use of metallic silicon is very large.

2. Alloy materials: metal silicon can be used to manufacture alloy materials, which can improve the strength, hardness and wear resistance of the alloy. Metal silicon alloy is widely used in steel smelting and casting industry, such as stainless steel, cemented carbide, refractory alloy and so on.

3. Silicate ceramic materials: metal silicon can be used to prepare silicate ceramic materials, this ceramic material has excellent insulation properties and high temperature wear resistance, widely used in electric power, metallurgy, chemical industry, ceramics and other industries.

4. Silicone compounds: silicon metal can be used as raw materials of silicone compounds for the production of silicone rubber, silicone resin, silicone oil, silicone and other products. These products have excellent high temperature resistance, low temperature resistance, chemical corrosion resistance, widely used in aerospace, automotive, construction, medical and other fields.

5. Other fields: Silicon metal can also be used for the preparation of silicon carbon fiber, silicon carbon nanotubes and other high-performance materials, for the preparation of thermal insulation materials, material surface coatings, spark nozzles and so on.

In general, silicon metal is a very important industrial raw material, widely used in electronics, metallurgy, ceramics, chemical, medical and other fields. With the continuous development of science and technology, the use of metal silicon is also continuing to expand and innovate, there will be a broader market prospects.

2.Global production of industrial silicon.

In terms of production capacity: in 2021, the global industrial silicon production capacity is 6.62 million tons, of which 4.99 million tons are concentrated in China (SMM2021 effective production capacity sample statistics, excluding zombie production capacity of about 5.2-5.3 million tons), accounting for 75%; Overseas production capacity is about 1.33 million tons. In the past decade, overseas production capacity has been stable as a whole, basically maintaining more than 1.2-1.3 million tons.

China is the largest producer of industrial silicon, enterprise production cost advantages, photovoltaic/silicone/aluminum alloy and other important end consumer markets are concentrated in China, and there is a strong demand growth, defending the dominant position of China’s industrial silicon production capacity. The market is expected that the global industrial silicon production capacity will increase to 8.14 million tons in 2025, and China will still dominate the capacity growth trend, and the peak capacity will reach 6.81 million tons, accounting for nearly 80%. Overseas, traditional industrial silicon giants are gradually expanding downstream, mainly focusing on developing countries such as Indonesia with lower energy costs.

In terms of output: the total output of global industrial silicon in 2021 is 4.08 million tons; China is the world’s largest producer of industrial silicon, with output reaching 3.17 million tons (SMM data including 97, recycled silicon), accounting for 77%. Since 2011, China has surpassed Brazil as the world’s largest producer and consumer of industrial silicon.

According to continental statistics, in 2020, Asia, Europe, South America and North America, the proportion of industrial silicon production is 76%, 11%, 7% and 5%, respectively. According to national statistics, overseas industrial silicon production is mainly concentrated in Brazil, Norway, the United States, France and other places. In 2021, the USGS released silicon metal production data, including ferrosilicon alloy, and China, Russia, Australia, Brazil, Norway, and the United States ranked first in silicon metal production.