Recycling High Purity Silica

This student team worked to identify an application for with Group14's R&D team's silica byproduct stream. The student team also worked to research the properties required for existing silica on the market for comparison to Group14 silica and assess the feasibility of modifying the properties of Group14 silica for one or more of those applications, including conducting lab scale tests as a proof of concept for scaling up any process. These modifications may have included densification, particle size modification, chemical treatment, or others. The desired outcome this student team worked towards was to conduct a feasibility study on the use of high purity silica produced at Group14 in existing markets. This student team (1) worked to deliver a recommended application(s) for Group14 silica, (2) worked to design a pathway for modifying the material properties as needed, and (3) worked to validate that design at lab scale. The student team was encouraged to consider any applications which would provide lower cost (or net profit) than disposing of the material as waste. Additionally, this student team was able to work to recommend material modification strategies beyond those currently available in existing UW and Group14 laboratories.

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