“It’s Like Working In A Volcano”: How Silicon Is Made

“It’s Like Working In A Volcano”: How Silicon Is Made | Extreme Jobs

Рет қаралды 21,634

2 жыл бұрын

The process of turning quartz into silicon isn’t for the faint-hearted. We go inside one of the largest silicon smelters in the world. Subscribe to ABC Science KZfaq 👉 ab.co/2YFO4Go
This is an excerpt from the Australian documentary series, Catalyst - The Grid: Powering The Future. Australians can watch the full program here 👉 ab.co/2nFL0tp
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Пікірлер: 63

@jayymichaels8100 Жыл бұрын

I work at a plant just like this in America. Working in those furnaces is hell.

@matlilly8795 10 ай бұрын

That's nothing. I have a desk job in the air conditioning. The other day I forgot to turn on my desk fan and felt slightly uncomfortable for about 10 minutes until I remembered to switch it on.

@ThumbDr 2 ай бұрын

@@matlilly8795RIP one like one prayer. Get well soon

@miserablepile 2 ай бұрын

I wish this had more views, this is really interesting!

@ktwilson5118 3 ай бұрын

This is very interesting. Good job you guys!

@cjbascomb530 Жыл бұрын

It is hot asf been at it for 2 years

@jacquesfilion9117 Жыл бұрын

Check out HPQ SILICON, zero CO2 emissions.

@user-yz6yk7ir1x 5 ай бұрын

According to Hewlett Packard, the company that produces it, the production of HPQ Silicon emits 84% less CO2 than conventional silicon. That is significant, but I wonder if this finding has been confirmed by independent research.

@jacquesfilion9117 5 ай бұрын

The 1 Kg eq of CO2 per Kg of Fumed Silica is based on Hydro Quebec data that indicate in Quebec 1.3 g of CO2 are generated eq per KWh. While the 2.5 is based on the Canadian average for electricity generation carbon intensity of 150 g per KWh. In Q4 Independent testing done at McGill University confirmed the HPQ Polvere FSR capability of producing Commercial Grade Fumed Silica in one step at lab scale. @@user-yz6yk7ir1x

@ThereWillBeCake Ай бұрын

And the Australian govt wants to reach zero emissions. haha

@greentea7180 29 күн бұрын

Lol, it seems like those hilariously dangerous and horrendous looking jobs could be automated pretty easily...

@fawnwoods51 2 жыл бұрын

This is where my new silicon straws came from.

@christopherpetersen342 2 ай бұрын

and transforming it from bulk polysilicon into rods, wafers, and solar cells has other costs

@Where_has_the_sanity_gone 6 ай бұрын

So do they supply Taiwan or does Taiwan mine it itself?

@chickeneaterofficial2889 Ай бұрын

If you're referring to the Taiwanese microchips, than I'm certain they don't produce their due to the lack of quartz (SiO2) rich soil. So it makes more sense economically to import it from neighboring countries. However, they produce more than 60% of semiconductors that are sold internationally.

@ulrichlittmann3095 2 жыл бұрын

Very interesting. What happens to the released CO2?

@siddarths631 2 жыл бұрын

Released into the atmosphere leading to the latter's pollution

@raspas99 2 жыл бұрын

@@siddarths631 also not forget you exhale CO2. Scary stuff

@Auroral_Anomaly 8 ай бұрын

@@raspas99Not nearly that much.

@raspas99 7 ай бұрын

@@Auroral_Anomaly like when making silicon?

@Auroral_Anomaly 7 ай бұрын

@@raspas99 No, exhaling.

@sakarkolachhapati9793 3 ай бұрын

I dont think keeping global temperature below 1.5 pre industrial level is achievable

@sakarkolachhapati9793 3 ай бұрын

@@busimagen ok

@psycleen 29 күн бұрын

where is darth

@iraqwarveteran470 10 ай бұрын

Oh, coal is needed to make solar panels. That's a plot twist.

@CATASTEROID934 10 ай бұрын

It's mostly likely a type of coke or other relatively pure carbon source similar to what you'd use to reduce iron oxides like hematite, limonite or magnetite to metallic iron in an ironworks/steel mill, so there's a couple of steps in between but yeah essentially refined coal

@kutfingertv814 9 ай бұрын

This is the Simcoa plant in Western Australia, and for the most part it uses Jarrah wood charcoal, although lately it is using more coal refined to coke. But West Australians are Gods chosen people, and the apple of Gods eye, and it is our every right to do what we want. But yeh, you can just use any carbon source, and there are trials into substituting Hydrogen instead of carbon to remove the oxygen from the Silicon Dioxide (Quartz).

@jonathangullett3143 8 ай бұрын

“Green” evengy

@user-yz6yk7ir1x 5 ай бұрын

Solar cell production is indeed problematic; it's not a silver bullet for confronting the climate crisis. But, as stated in this video, "if silicon is incorporated into a solar panel, it will generate at least 4 times as much energy as it took to make it -- 10 times as much in a country like Australia." Compared with fossil fuels, there's simply no contest. Another commenter mentioned HPQ silicon, the production of which supposedly releases 84% less CO2 than conventionally produced silicons. That's something that should be getting more attention.

@linrae4737 2 жыл бұрын

Really whoever took this on initially??? How hot raw materials need to be heated to become useful to mankind!! WOW gotta wonder are some things worth using???

@markmarketing7365 10 ай бұрын

Brother, I'm very late with this one but the whole world runs on silicon, it's the cornerstone of every computing chip.

@BigLeBowski4456 7 ай бұрын

Those look like generic 3M dust masks with a mere dustfilter. Fine dust will get through in time, gases will too... Very unhealthy work environment, these men keep the world turning.

@DonzLockz 2 жыл бұрын

Really cool to see but it's too hot to work there. Dangerous work and bad for the environment but a necessary evil.

@whatthefunction9140 2 жыл бұрын

Kind of ironic it's not solar powered

@ABetterLifeInc 2 жыл бұрын

You have any idea how big that solar and battery set up would be! 😆

@iraqwarveteran470 10 ай бұрын

Haha. Exactly.

@ThumbDr 2 ай бұрын

I don’t think you understand the word ironic 😂

@sgtbrown4273 4 күн бұрын

@@ABetterLifeInc about the size of TEXAS 🤣

@capstonestructural7212 Жыл бұрын

The dirty little secret about clean energy from solar panel is that the process to get produce it is worst than what it is replacing. SMH.

@hashdankhog8578 Жыл бұрын

Did you not watch to the end?

@caesarsalad1170 11 ай бұрын

@@hashdankhog8578 It may generate more electricity than it took to make it, but panels don't suck carbon and other gasses out of the air that the furnace/smelter gives off or clean up molten slag.

@hashdankhog8578 11 ай бұрын

@@caesarsalad1170 and thats why we also need to focus on carbon capture. Just because they do generate carbon doesnt mean they are worth using or that we should keep using oil.

@caesarsalad1170 11 ай бұрын

@@hashdankhog8578 Except oil is a absolute critical component to our modern society besides fuel.

@hashdankhog8578 11 ай бұрын

@@caesarsalad1170 well slavery was critical for americas economy but we still got rid of it. Just because a society relies on something doesn’t mean that we need it.

@morayoung3183 2 жыл бұрын

Wow working in hell, not the way God provides, clean energy.

@DoubtingThomas333 2 жыл бұрын

The universe is full of blistering heat, things burning, etc etc

@DoubtingThomas333 2 жыл бұрын

..."A recent study found that the average temperature of the hot gases in the large-scale structures, including galaxies and galaxy clusters, of the universe is 2 million Kelvin - or 1,999,726.85 degrees Celsius." 21 Nov 2020. Look it up