Patent ID: 9228246
Filing Date: 2016-01-05
CPC Classification: B01J,C01B,C22B

Claim Text:
1. A method for making silicon/silicon carbide pellets from the waste material of silicon wafer manufacturing comprising: providing silicon/silicon carbide-containing waste material at a moisture content below about 25% by weight solids; forming an agglomerate of silicon/silicon carbide-containing having particles of a predetermined size; feeding a controlled amount of said silicon/silicon carbide-containing agglomerate into a pelletizer; adding from about 2% to about 8% by weight of a binder selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl alcohol, sodium silicate, polyethylene glycol, and lignin while pelletizing to bind said silicon/silicon carbide-containing particles in said agglomerate; pelletizing to compact said bound silicon/silicon carbide-containing agglomerate in said pelletizer to form a silicon/carbide-containing pellet having a predetermined particle size; and discharging said pellet from said pelletizer.