Element Zero Advances Low-Carbon Silicon from Iron Ore Waste

Element Zero is leading a $500,000 Phase 1 research project to advance low-carbon, high-grade silicon production from Pilbara iron ore waste, supported by a $250,000 contribution from the Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia (MRIWA).

The project will investigate the use of Element Zero’s electrochemical processing technology to recover and refine silicon from silica contained in mining waste, using molten salts and renewable electricity as part of a lower-carbon alternative to conventional silicon production. MRIWA identifies the project as part of its Processing Technology program and its work to increase recovered value through processing.

Advancing silicon from iron ore waste

Phase 1 will include the design, construction and operation of a 100 kg/day prototype pilot at Element Zero’s Malaga facility. The research will generate data on silicon recovery, product purity, energy efficiency, materials separation and process economics to support future scale-up.

The project will investigate production of both metallurgical-grade and solar-grade silicon, while also comparing other silica-bearing materials with mining tailings to identify processing pathways suited to Western Australia.

The research builds on Element Zero’s work developing electrochemical approaches to metals and materials processing and explores the potential to create greater value from Western Australia’s mineral resources and mining waste.

Learn more about the project on the MRIWA website.

Advancing Low-Carbon High-Grade Silicon Production from Iron Ore Waste (Phase 1)