Copper Removal from Hypereutectic Cu-Si Alloys by Heavy Liquid Media Separation

A high-capacity method for silicon refining is investigated. The biggest obstacle in Si refining using the alloying technique is the amount of solute element. In the current work, Cu is removed from two Cu-Si hypereutectic alloys by the heavy liquid media separation technique. The results indicated 86.0 pct silicon recovered, which is close to the theoretical limit. The chemical analysis showed a Cu concentration of 0.68 wt pct in the 50 Cu-Si alloy for a 75-mu m average particle size after heavy liquid media separation. The optimal particle size was found in the range of 75 to 125 mu m. Heavy liquid media separation is an efficient technique in the process of liberating Si dendrites that can be used as feedstock in solar cell applications.