ABOUT OUR PROJECT
SiSal slag valorization
The project's promise
The promise of the SisAl process is to resolve this problem of non-sustainable raw materials, by replacing carbon with secondary aluminium sources (scrap, dross) as reductant for Si production from quartz (SiO²), and in parallel making an intermediate slag which is a perfect precursor for HPA processing. By introducing integrated CO² looping, the already superior low CO² footprint of the SisAl process is strengthened. Elkem (Si), SiQAl & Mytilineos (HPA), and Calef (CO² looping) will commercialise the technologies and products (Si & HPA) for the benefit of end users requiring sustainable raw materials with a minimal environmental and CO² footprint.
With the SisAl process, transformation to a low carbon circular economy and other key challenges are turned upside down into new European opportunities. Carbon leakage means moving industry to countries with less strict emission regulations, giving no positive or even negative effects on global emissions. A reversed carbon leakage would be to move industry back to Europe, and, by replacing just one traditional silicon smelter in China with a new SisAl smelter in Europe, we have estimated that 50 million Euros will be saved annually in avoided societal emission costs.


Identified commercial exploitation opportunities to be targeted in the KIC KAVA Upscaling Project “Sisal Slag Valorisation” include:
- Technology for production of high purity alumina (HPA) from SisAl slags to be commercialised by SiQAl and Mytilineos
- Product HPA – to be produced and commercialised by SiQAl and Mytilineos for the European market
- Technology for production of silicon and SisAl slags (i.e. the basic patented SisAl technology) to be licensed by NTNU as commercial owner
- Product Silicon metal (produced along with SisAl slags in the basic SisAl process) – from secondary streams to be commercialised for the global market by Elkem, Europe’s largest Silicon producer and trader
- CO² looping technology for metallurgical applications, with an initial focus on co-production of alumina and calcia from SisAl slags, with Calef and Walter Tosto as commercialising actors
The project consortium covers the value chain from raw material provider to product user, with partners from SME´s, companies, institutes and universities.