Kawu Musa Idris-Idah, 9th April 2026
This series provides insights into minerals found in the “solar system” ecosystem.
Silica, also called Silicon (iv) oxide, is obtained from mined quartz sand. Silica is processed further into ferrosilicon or silicon metal.
Ferrosilicon is silicon mixed with iron, whilst silicon metal is high purity silicon. Ferrosilicon is used to produce steel, whilst high purity silicon (98%+ pure) is processed further to have much lesser impurities (99.999%+ pure), which could then be used for manufacturing solar panels.
South Africa is the only African country that appears in the top 15 silicon producing nations. The country averaged about 10,000 metric tons of silicon metal and 35,000 metric tons of ferrosilicon in 2025.
The table below provides the highest-ranking silicon producers, as per USGS 2025.
Ferrosilicon
|
Country |
Quantity (thousand metric tons) |
|
China |
3500 |
|
Russia |
420 |
|
Brazil |
170 |
|
Norway |
150 |
|
Malaysia |
120 |
|
Bhutan |
98 |
Silicon metal
|
Country |
Quantity (thousand metric tons) |
|
China |
4000 |
|
Brazil |
180 |
|
Norway |
130 |
|
France |
68 |
|
Australia |
47 |