Silicon carbide (SiC), a widely-used ceramic material, is industrially produced in an Acheson furnace by heating a mixture of carbon grains (usually petroleum coke) and silica sand. Heating occurs by passing an electric current through a grafite resistor placed in the center of the mixture that reaches temperatures above about 3000ºC. This study aimed to evaluate, in pilot scale, the impact of changing the raw material configuration for the production of SiC. The particle size of the raw materials, sand and coke, was reduced and then, agglomerated. These agglomerates were tested in a pilot furnace replacing the original raw material. It was found that utilization of the agglomerated raw material a maintained chemical homogeneity during the process of SiC production and decreased the amount of energy needed for production (kWh/kg SiC) by 5%.
SiC production; agglomeration; Acheson
