Elkem secures EUR 1.8 million EU grant to explore CO2-free silicon production

Kristiansand, Norway – November 27, 2024 – Elkem ASA has secured EUR 1.8 million in funding from the European Union for the groundbreaking Elkem Sicalo® (Silicon production with carbon looping) project, which aims to eliminate all CO2 emissions from silicon production.

Elkem, SINTEF and NORCE are completing the first pilot phase of Elkem Sicalo® at Elkem’s technology park in Kristiansand, Norway. The project entails capturing the carbon emitted from the silicon furnace and reusing it as a reductant in the silicon production process. The EU has now granted EUR 9.9 million in funding for the Horizon Europe project MECALO, which builds on Elkem Sicalo®. MECALO will develop the concept of carbon looping further for general metal production, with demonstration of zero CO2 silicon and manganese alloys.

The manganese alloys producer Eramet, with its six smelters in Norway, France, the United States and Gabon, is the other metallurgical company in the consortium aiming to develop and use the technology from MECALO. If successful and fully implemented in all European production of silicon and manganese, MECALO could save 33 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year in 2050.

"Our research into carbon looping has the potential to be a game changer for the metal alloys industry to achieve net zero emissions. We are grateful to the EU for supporting this groundbreaking project. Strong public-private partnerships are essential for bridging resource gaps, spreading risk and leveraging complementary competencies. Together, we are strengthening Europe's resilience in the critical raw materials value chains,” said Elkem CEO Helge Aasen.

Silicon is a raw material that is critical for the green and digital transitions. Its application ranges from electric vehicles to solar cells, batteries, smart phones and wind turbines. The production of silicon is a source of greenhouse gas emissions, as the process requires carbon to reduce quartz into silicon. Some metals, such as steel, can be produced with hydrogen as a reductant. This is not possible for silicon, manganese and several other metals. That’s why pioneering projects such as MECALO are needed, to develop innovative production methods without CO2 emissions.  

The MECALO project will research and develop a new production method that involves capturing carbon oxides from process off-gases, converting them to solid carbon using low-carbon hydrogen, and reusing the recovered carbon as a reduction material to produce critical metals and materials. While this method is showing promising results, it also presents challenges that need to be resolved, such as increased energy use.

The overall budget for MECALO is EUR 9.9 million (NOK 116 million), with Elkem’s budget and requested grant amounting to EUR 1.8 million (NOK 21 million).

Key highlights of the MECALO project:

• Innovative carbon capture and reuse: Capturing carbon oxides from off-gases and converting them into solid carbon using hydrogen, which is then reused in metal production
• Elimination of external carbon feedstock: The process aims to eliminate the need for external carbon in carbothermic production
• Researching production of “turquoise hydrogen”: A project partner will research methane pyrolysis, whereby methane is cracked into hydrogen and solid carbon, using only a fifth of the energy required for green hydrogen production

Elkem has been working on Elkem Sicalo® with SINTEF as its research partner since 2021, with support from The Research Council of Norway from 2022-2024. The research partners are now initiating the second phase of the project with extensive pilot testing of various stages of the production process, with support from Enova.

“Significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions while enabling the production of green products is the recipe for competitiveness in a low-emission society. Thanks to an ambitious research agenda, we are now in a position to deliver a huge impact on European industry,” said Eli Aamot, Executive Vice President of SINTEF Industry.

“Our ambition is to be the first producer to offer zero CO2 manganese alloys on the way to decarbonizing the value chain of steel. Carbon looping is an important lever for the long term, with a potential CO2-reduction of 90 per cent compared with today’s level. The MECALO project provides a pragmatic and industry-oriented solution through collaborative work from top European companies, and I look forward to seeing the results,” said Bjørn Kolbjørnsen, head of Eramet’s Mn Alloys business unit.
 

Carbothermic reduction in metal production

• Definition: Carbothermic reduction involves the reduction of metal oxides using carbon as the reducing agent. This process is typically conducted at high temperatures in furnaces.
• Applications: Commonly used in the production of metals such as silicon and manganese, which are crucial for various industries, including electronics and renewable energy.
• Process: The carbon reacts with the metal oxide to produce the metal and carbon monoxide (CO) or carbon dioxide (CO₂).
• Environmental impact: Traditional carbothermic reduction processes produce significant CO₂ emissions. Innovative projects like MECALO aim to capture and reuse the carbon, reducing the environmental footprint.
• MECALO Project: This project focuses on capturing carbon oxides from process off-gases, converting them to solid carbon using low-carbon hydrogen, and reusing the recovered carbon in metal production.