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Carbothermal Reduction of Quartz in Methane–Hydrogen–Argon Gas Mixture

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Abstract

Synthesis of silicon carbide (SiC) by carbothermal reduction of quartz in a CH4–H2–Ar gas mixture was investigated in a laboratory fixed-bed reactor in the temperature range of 1573 K to 1823 K (1300 °C to 1550 °C). The reduction process was monitored by an infrared gas analyser, and the reduction products were characterized by LECO, XRD, and SEM. A mixture of quartz–graphite powders with C/SiO2 molar ratio of 2 was pressed into pellets and used for reduction experiments. The reduction was completed within 2 hours under the conditions of temperature at or above 1773 K (1500 °C), methane content of 0.5 to 2 vol pct, and hydrogen content ≥70 vol pct. Methane partially substituted carbon as a reductant in the SiC synthesis and enhanced the reduction kinetics significantly. An increase in the methane content above 2 vol pct caused excessive carbon deposition which had a detrimental effect on the reaction rate. Hydrogen content in the gas mixture above 70 vol pct effectively suppressed the cracking of methane.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported under the Australian Research Council’s Linkage Projects funding scheme (Project No. LP100100866) and the Norwegian Research Council under the project Kiselrox (Project No. 228722/O30). The authors would also like to thank the Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre at the University of New South Wales for LECO analysis and the Electron Microscopy Centre (EMC) at the University of Wollongong for the electron microscopy characterization.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical, Materials and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia

    Xiang Li (Ph.D. Student) & Guangqing Zhang (Principal Supervisor)

  2. SINTEF Materials and Chemistry, 7465, Trondheim, Norway

    Kai Tang (Senior Research Scientist)

  3. School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia

    Oleg Ostrovski (Emeritus Professor)

  4. Elkem AS, Drammensveien 169, Skøyen, P.O Box 334, 0213, Oslo, Norway

    Ragnar Tronstad (Director R&D)

Authors
  1. Xiang Li
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  2. Guangqing Zhang
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  3. Kai Tang
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  4. Oleg Ostrovski
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  5. Ragnar Tronstad
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Correspondence to Xiang Li.

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Manuscript submitted January 27, 2015.

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Li, X., Zhang, G., Tang, K. et al. Carbothermal Reduction of Quartz in Methane–Hydrogen–Argon Gas Mixture. Metall Mater Trans B 46, 2384–2393 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11663-015-0407-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11663-015-0407-x

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