Resources consumption and wastes emission analysis for two manufacture processes of siliconit

Silicon carbide (SiC) heating elements (siliconits) are widely used at high-temperature fields. The raw materials, manufacture process and application fields of siliconits are all related to heavy energy consumption and pollutions, and bring high environmental loads. The resources consumption and pollution emissions in siliconit manufacture process were quantificationally estimated by input/output method. Difference between two traditional techniques to produce siliconits in China was also compared and analyzed. The results show that siliconit manufacture processes consume large quantities of resources because the furnace is open to environment and too much thermal-protection materials are used. For the thick-end technique is more complicated and the thick-end siliconits have a bigger size and mass, there are more resources and energy consumptions and pollution emissions for thick-end process than that for equal-diameter process. Some suggestions were introduced to improve the traditional techniques and a new process was designed. It is the most important that the open furnace should be replaced by close vacuum furnace. Sintering and siliconizing process can be combined into one high-temperature process. As results of process simplification and vacuum sintering, resources and energy consumption and wastes emission can be decreased remarkably.