The microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of MgO-C refractories with recycling Si/SiC solid waste from photovoltaic industry

In the present work, the recycling of Si/SiC solid waste from photovoltaic industry for MgO-C refractories preparation has been introduced. The influence of solid waste powders as antioxidant additive on microstructure evolution, mechanical properties and thermal shock resistance of MgO-C refractories has been investigated systematically. With 4 wt% Si/SiC rich solid waste addition, the MgO-C refractories exhibited the highest strength (4.39 MPa) and residual Young's modulus (7.86 GPa) after firing at 1400 °C, compared to only Si or SiC-addition. The presence of iron in the solid waste also promoted the formation of MgO and Mg2SiO4 whiskers via catalyst-assisted method. Moreover, a dissolution-saturation-precipitation growth mechanism was used to explain the formation process of the whiskers. The improvements in strength as well as thermal shock resistance can be attributed to the microstructural evolution.