Elkem has been awarded a EUR 1.8 million grant from the European Union to support its Elkem Sicalo® project. The project aims to eliminate all CO2 emissions from the company’s silicon production process.

The funding will be used to support the first pilot phase of the project, which is being conducted in partnership with SINTEF and NORCE. The pilot phase is taking place at Elkem’s technology park in Kristiansand, Norway.

The Elkem Sicalo® project is focused on capturing the carbon emitted from the silicon furnace and reusing it as a reductant in the production process. The company is also exploring the use of carbon looping to eliminate the need for external carbon feedstock.

In addition to the Elkem Sicalo® project, the EU has also granted EUR 9.9 million in funding for the Horizon Europe project MECALO. The MECALO project will build on the work of Elkem Sicalo® and further develop the concept of carbon looping for general metal production.

The MECALO project will specifically focus on the production of zero CO2 silicon and manganese alloys. The project will also explore the use of carbon looping to reduce the carbon footprint of the entire metal production process.

If successful, the MECALO project could have a significant impact on the European metal industry. The project has the potential to save 33 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year by 2050.

Elkem is one of the world’s biggest producers of silicon and silicon-based materials. The company is also a major supplier of specialty alloys and carbon products.

Elkem's CEO Helge Aasen said that the EU grant will help Elkem to further its research and development efforts.

"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 Aasen.